Safe With a Sicario
by FictionWriter91
Summary: Kate Macer left her past behind her until her young protege, Mei, goes missing during a case, throwing Kate back into the world of the cartel. Mei's friend, Luke Wright (former assassin), is determined to find her and gets put under Kate's supervision, much to her annoyance. Elsewhere, Alejandro stumbles upon a lost and disoriented young woman (Mei), trying to get home safe.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! I had this idea hit me last night, and I wanted to get it down. It is a crossover with the movie Safe (2012), but I explain about those characters in this chapter and how they got to this point in time etc., so you don't really have to have seen that film to understand. I always do character development. When the story is done, I put it in the crossover section as I find they don't get read otherwise. **

**I really hope you enjoy!**

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_And the time's come to realize there will be promises I can't keep...  
_

**2023**

Kate Macer sat at her desk and sighed, rubbing her face. It had been a particularly long day. She was no closer to solving her case, and she felt a bit hopeless.

"Here," a young woman said, coming in holding a coffee cup. "Thought you might need this."

Kate looked up and smiled.

"You're very intuitive, Mei," she replied.

"So I've been told," Mei grinned. She set the cup down on the desk and sat across from Kate. "We'll get them, Kate."

"I love your enthusiasm, but I'm just not feeling it right now," Kate sighed. She put her hand around the cup, feeling it's warmth, but she didn't drink it. She couldn't stomach anything right now.

"Maybe tomorrow. As my friend always says, tomorrow is another day," Mei explained.

"I've heard that before."

Mei didn't say anything else, but she did examine Kate's office. Kate watched her. Mei was still what they considered a "newbie" with the FBI. She was just 23, and the only reason she got to start the process early was because of her incredible gift. Mei had graduated high school before 16, and she moved on into preparing for the FBI ever since. The girl could memorize anything you put in front of her in seconds, and the FBI wanted someone like that on their team. Kate was honored that they had chosen her to be Mei's mentor and trainer. Kate herself had moved to the Seattle division eight years earlier, after Alejandro suggested she move to a smaller town. Seattle wasn't necessarily smaller, but it was far enough away from Mexico. She was still a kidnap specialist, and the case they were working on involved a big trafficking ring.

"You should get home," Kate suggested. "It's been a long day. Get some rest."

"I feel bad leaving if you're staying," Mei argued.

"I won't be long behind you. I'm just gonna finish up my notes," Kate assured her. She was so done with this day.

"Okay. See you tomorrow," Mei said, getting up. She flashed Kate an encouraging smile before going out the door. Kate wondered about Mei's life and what she did in her spare time. The young woman kept to herself and kept her head down at work. Kate knew next to nothing about her aside from the few times she mentioned a friend of hers who had such cliche sayings.

Kate looked down at her computer screen and sighed again. She didn't even know what to write, but she started on her notes anyway. Then she could go home.

...

_Luke Wright. Big Apple's hardest cop once upon a time..._

Luke squared off in front of the punching bag in front of him. He'd long ago given up cage fighting, but he still had to exert his anger and frustration out somewhere.

_Are we safe?_

_One day at a time, okay?_

Luke punched himself out and stood panting, hands on his knees. He heard the door upstairs open and close, and he knew she was home.

_I'm not sure that I could be a good father._

_I don't want anymore fathers. Will you be my friend?_

_Til my dying day._

"Luke?" she called.

"Yea," he answered. Her steps came down the stairs, and Mei appeared in her work clothes looking at him, arms crossed. There was a slight smile on her face.

"Killed another one?" she asked.

"Almost," he answered. He wiped the sweat off his face. "How was work?"

"Disappointing," Mei answered. "We still haven't solved the case."

"You will," he encouraged.

"If I don't, I feel as though they'd fire me."

"They wouldn't do that, Mei, you're a valuable asset," Luke told her. He knew it very well. It was how they had met 11 years ago in fact. Mei had been working for the Chinese Triad gangster Han, and she had been kidnapped by the Russian mafia in order to get the important information Han had made her memorize. Luke had rescued her, gotten the Russians and Chinese off their backs as well as the mayor of the city, and they had left New York to come to Seattle to start new lives. Luke had feigned to be her uncle for school and such, and no one ever questioned it.

"I'm sure there are other geniuses out there they can use," Mei argued.

"Not ones that want to be in the FBI I'll bet," Luke countered. He unwrapped his hands, setting the wraps down on the shelf along the wall. He grabbed the towel and wiped off his face and head as he walked up the stairs behind her.

"Sometimes your constant positivity is annoying," Mei said as they entered the kitchen.

"Someone has to be positive around here," Luke commented. She rolled her eyes.

"I'm going out tonight," she said.

"All right."

Mei went to change out of her work clothes, leaving Luke to root around for some water. He wasn't exactly fond of her new boyfriend, Steve. There was something about him that made Luke suspicious, but he couldn't find any evidence as to what it was. Luke himself did not date. He had no desire to, not after losing his wife, Annie, right before he'd met Mei. In fact, Mei had unknowingly saved his life.

_What is she to you?_

_Life._

"Don't wait up," Mei said, returning in a black dress and heels. Luke still had a hard time getting used to her being an adult. He still pictured her as the 12 year old girl who needed him at times. She didn't really need him so much anymore.

"Is there a time you want me to keep an eye on in case you don't come home?" Luke asked casually.

"I might not come home tonight," she replied.

"I see."

She flushed a little, but she didn't say anything else. Luke hadn't meant to embarrass her. He just liked to know roughly a timeline in case he had to go out looking for her, in case something bad happened to her. After all, he had a promise to keep.

_Are we safe?_

_One day at a time, Mei. One day at a time._

...

Kate found herself at a bar drinking alone. She preferred to be alone these days. Ever since her ex husband, Evan, she had dated a few men, but she just didn't find anyone that suited her. Not to mention after her date with Ted the corrupt cop who almost killed her, she was more cautious about men she met in a bar.

She didn't think much about that time in her life if she could help it. Alejandro popped into her head every so often, but he didn't stay there long. She felt a bit of hatred towards him for allowing her to be used and put in danger before sticking a gun in her face himself and threatening to kill her if she didn't sign his damn papers. She unconsciously gripped her beer bottle hard. Too bad it had been Matt Graver she'd punched in the face and not him.

"Squeeze it any tighter, and you'll break it," the bartender said, noticing. Kate looked at him, blinking out of her trance.

"What?"

"The bottle. You're gripping it pretty hard," he gestured. Kate looked down and realized she was. She let it go and put her hand on the bar top.

"Sorry," she said.

"You don't have to apologize to me. I just didn't want you to cut yourself on the broken glass if it broke," he shrugged. Kate studied him for a moment. He was average height, in shape, and clearly did some kind of work out. Not many could pull off the shaved head look, but he certainly did.

"Well, thanks," she responded. He flashed a quick smile before moving on to someone else. Kate caught sight of two men getting a little rowdy at the other end of the bar. The bartender noticed too. She watched as he went over to chat with them, and she almost spit out her beer in shock when one of the men took a swing at him. She jumped off her stool, prepared to intervene, when the bartender cleanly and expertly took down the attacker. The second man had already fled. The bartender picked up the first man and hauled him outside. Kate watched through the window as they talked animatedly before the man stumbled off. The bartender returned and acted as though nothing had happened. She stared at him.

"What?" he asked, catching her looking at him.

"What just happened?"

"He swung at me first. Self-defense. He left in one piece," the bartender reasoned. "It happens here a lot unfortunately."

Kate had nothing else to say, so she paid and left. She went home and tried to sleep. She couldn't help but echo Mei's friend's words in her head.

Tomorrow was another day.

**The Next Day **

Kate dragged herself out of bed and into work. She noticed Mei's desk was empty when she got there, and she frowned. Mei was never late for work. If anything, she was usually the first one there. Mei had a special interest in the kidnap division of the FBI, and Kate sometimes wondered if it was because of a personal reason. She'd never asked.

"Where's Mei?" she asked her fellow agent, Henry DeLuca. He was their tech guy so to speak.

"Haven't seen her," Henry shrugged.

Feeling unsettled, Kate went into her office, but instead of sitting, she paced. Something didn't feel right. She pulled out her phone to call Mei, but it went straight to voicemail. Kate tapped her fingers against the phone's case in her hand, thinking. She went back out to the main room.

"I need a phone trace," she said. Henry looked up at her.

"I'm sure she'll be in soon," he replied, knowing Kate wanted the trace on Mei's phone.

"She is never late," Kate argued. "And we are currently working a high profile case."

"You think something's happened to her because of the case?" Henry asked, getting it.

"I do. Run the trace. Now."

"Okay," Henry said, beginning the process. Kate waited anxiously. When she saw Henry frown, her anxiety rose up another level.

"What?" she asked.

"It's offline. I can't trace it."

"Now I know something is wrong," Kate said, bursting forward to her boss's office. Director Alan White looked up at her when she came in.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Mei's gone," she answered.

"Gone?" he frowned. "Like, quit?"

"No, like kidnapped."

"What?!"

"She's not here, and her phone is offline. Mei is never late and never misses work, not even when she's half dead from an illness." This was very true. Kate had to force Mei to leave one time because Mei was so sick with a flu bug but came in anyway because she had to finish her work.

"You're working the Henessy case, aren't you?"

"Yes. We both are."

"So, you think it's related to that?"

"I do."

"How can you be sure?"

"My gut says so."

"We can't run off of gut feelings, Kate," Alan sighed. There was a bit of a commotion outside in the hallway then, and both Kate and Alan moved to investigate.

"I'm telling you, something's happened. If she's not here, something's happened!" a man was shouting.

"Sir, you need to calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down!"

Kate moved closer and immediately recognized the bartender from last night. What was going on?

"You," he said, spying her and marching towards her. The other agents were following him hurriedly. "Are you in charge here?"

"No," Kate shook her head.

"I am," Alan explained.

"Something has happened to my niece," the bartender went on. "She didn't come home last night. I know she works here, and she's not here, so something is wrong."

Kate went cold. He wouldn't be talking about Mei, would he? Along with the anger in his facial expression, she caught fear in his eyes.

"Are you referring to Mei Chan?" Alan asked.

"Yes."

"And you are...?"

"Her uncle."

"You're her uncle?" Alan confirmed. He looked the man up and down. There was quite a difference there.

"Don't judge," the bartender snorted. "My brother was adopted from China."

"Right, right. Sorry," Alan shook his head. Kate somehow knew this was a lie, but she couldn't pin down as to why she felt that way.

"Is somebody doing something to find her?" the bartender demanded.

"What is your name, sir?" Alan asked.

"This isn't about me."

"I know that, but I still need your name."

"Luke. Can we get back to finding Mei now?" Luke asked.

"Last name?"

"None of your business. Is anybody going to do their job around here?" he questioned angrily. Kate could only imagine how he felt if she felt afraid for Mei.

"Come with me," she commanded, turning and heading for the conference room. Luke followed. She closed the door behind them and faced him. He was standing with his hands crossed. She noticed he was still wearing the same clothes he'd had on at work last night.

"I'm special agent Kate Macer," she said. "I am Mei's mentor. She was working cases with me."

"You're Kate," Luke echoed. "She talks about you a lot."

"Good things I hope."

"Let's stay on topic here, shall we?"

"Yes. When was the last time you saw her?" Kate asked, pulling out her pen and pad of paper.

"Just before seven. She was going out with Stevie Wonder."

"I'm sorry, who?" Kate asked, looking up from her notepad. He sighed.

"Sorry. Steve. I don't know his last name. It was a new relationship. I just...I didn't like him," Luke finished.

"Okay, we'll get back to that," she commented. "What was she wearing?"

"Black dress to the knees. Capped sleeves. Black heels. Red teardrop necklace," he described. "Her hair was in a French braid." He always memorized her clothes in case he had to do exactly this. He had never wanted to be here doing this.

"Okay," she nodded. "Vehicle?"

"Whatever Steve drives. I think it's a Ford truck. Could be black, but it was dark out so I didn't see."

"Did she say where they were going?"

"No," he shook his head. "She did make a smart comment that she might not come home, though, when I asked her what time she'd be back."

"Do you think she's still with Steve right now?"

"No," he shook his head again. "She never misses work. Even if she had stayed with him last night, she'd be here today."

"Okay, so about Steve. Why don't you like him? Have you met him?"

"Once. He just had something about him that didn't feel right."

"How long have they been dating?"

"Two weeks?"

"Anything about him that stands out physically?" Kate asked.

"He looked pretty average. Caucasian, short, black hair, and about 5'9, but he did have a tattoo on the inside of his wrist. I wasn't close enough to see what it was, though," Luke replied. "There was also some kind of rubber looking bracelet." Kate felt something inside of her then, and she worked hard to keep it in there instead of releasing it out into the open.

"What color?" she asked, looking at him.

"Why? What are you thinking?" he countered.

"What color was it?" she asked again, louder.

"Blue and red," he answered. Kate's hands began to shake as she recalled looking at Ted's red and blue bracelet on the coffee table eight years ago before he tried to strangle her.

"Hey," Luke said, snapping his fingers at her. "What's going on?"

Kate swore and slammed her hand on the table, jumping to her feet and leaving the room. Luke was on her heels instantly.

"Hey!" he shouted after her. Kate ignored him as she went into Alan's office again.

"What is it?" Alan asked, seeing her distressed.

"I think Mei has been taken by cartel," she answered. "It was a suspicion of ours that cartel was involved in Henessy's trafficking circles, and I think this has finally clarified that."

"Hang on," Alan said, holding out his hand. "How do you know this?"

"Cartel?" Luke asked, standing in the doorway. Kate spun to face him. She'd forgotten he'd been chasing her.

"How do you know that, Kate?" Alan repeated. Kate turned back to him.

"From my past. I met someone who worked for the cartel and had a red and blue bracelet, and it's the exact same one Mei's date was wearing last night."

"You think Steve is working for the cartel," Luke said, getting it.

"Who is Steve?" Alan asked, confused.

"The guy Mei went out with last night," Kate answered impatiently. "She was targeted. Sir, I have to get on this now."

"Go, go," Alan urged. Kate practically ran back to her office.

"Where do we start?" Luke asked when they reached it. Kate swung around, confused for a moment.

"Excuse me?"

"I'm helping with this," Luke insisted.

"Um, no. You're not. You're a civilian."

"That's what you think," Luke remarked. He knew she had no idea. The mayor of New York had hired him on to do special ops. Luke was more than just a cop. He had been an assassin for the government.

"I don't care what you think you can do or who you think you are, but you are not to intervene in this," Kate ordered. "I will update you as we go on what we find."

Luke gave her a level stare before nodding slowly.

"All right," he said. "If that's how you want to do this."

Kate watched him walk away, and she had a feeling that Luke was not done with her or interfering with the search. However, she did not have time to babysit him, but Henry could.

"Henry, put a tab on him," she ordered when Luke was gone.

"How? I don't have his phone number."

"Watch what vehicle he gets into and then track it," she instructed. Was he stupid? He hurried to do so while she shook her head. Then she went back to her office to make some call. She had to find Mei and fast.

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**I love hearing your thoughts!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you, Nicki, for reviewing! I'm so glad you find this story interesting :) Here is another chapter, and I hope you enjoy it too!**

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_Look over your shoulder...I'm right behind you._

Luke went home to his silent house and began to prepare himself. He went to his secret room and loaded himself up with weapons. All he had to do was figure out where to find Steve, and he'd figure out the rest. He thought about where Mei liked to go eat, and he decided to start there. He put everything into a black bag and zipped it shut before going out to his truck and putting it into the backseat. He did not fail to see the unmarked black SUV parked up the street. He knew that FBI woman would be keeping tabs on him, but it wasn't his first rodeo. He drove carefully and easily, watching it follow him at a distance. Then he parked far enough away from where he really wanted to go and walked. It was easy to lose them on foot. Once he knew they were really off his tail, he went into Mei's favorite Italian restaurant.

"Hey, Luke," the owner waved. "Long time no see!"

"It has been a while," Luke agreed. "Listen, Mario, I need a favor."

"What's that?"

"Was Mei in here last night?"

"Mei? I'll ask Donny. I wasn't here last night. Oye! Donny!"

Luke waited patiently for Donny to come ambling out from the back.

"I've got a new sandwich I'm trying. Let me get one for you," Mario said, rushing to get one as Donny appeared.

"Yea?" he asked. "Oh, hey Luke." Luke nodded at him.

"Was Mei here last night?" Luke asked him. Donny thought for a moment.

"You know, I think she was," he nodded. "Around 7:30."

"Was she with someone?"

"Yea. Some guy. They were here until about 8:45, then they left."

"Did you happen to hear any of their plans for the rest of the night?" Luke asked.

"Has something happened?" he asked, concerned. Mario caught the rest of this as he returned with the sandwich.

"She didn't come home. Now she's missing," Luke answered. "I'm trying to figure out her last steps."

"Geez, okay," Donny said, scratching his head hard. "Let me think."

Luke was feeling a bit impatient now. He had to get going before the feds found him.

"Oh! I heard Mei say something about the Q Nightclub. I think they were going there next," Donny said, snapping his fingers.

"Thanks, Donny," Luke said, moving to leave. Mario pressed the sandwich into his hands.

"Make sure you eat. Keep up your strength," Mario urged.

"I'll try."

"I hope you find her," Donny called after him. "She's a great girl."

"We'll pray," Mario chimed in.

"Thanks, lads," Luke waved. He slipped outside and down the street a little only to come face to face with Kate Macer herself. He stopped short.

"Thought you outsmarted us, huh," she commented. Her hands were on her hips. She did not look impressed.

"I came for the food," Luke said, holding up his sandwich, which he was now very grateful for. "So what?"

"So what? If you have information, Mr. Wright, then you need to tell me."

Luke shouldn't have been so surprised that she found out his last name so fast.

"Did your homework, I see."

"Yes, and you are quite the guy, Mr. Wright. Ex-cop. Cage fighter. Bad attitude. You think you can just do this on your own, do you?"

"Luke is fine. I'm not one for formal stuff."

Clearly she hadn't found out his assassin piece. Good on the mayor for keeping that buried deep...for now.

"Whatever. Stay out of my way," she said fiercely. "I am on this case. Not you."

"Okay," Luke said, holding up his hands. "Got it."

He went to walk past her, avoiding her narrow eyes as they stared at him until he disappeared around the corner.

"Keep watching him," she ordered Henry through the comms. "I don't trust him. He's up to something."

"Got it," Henry replied.

...

Luke managed to shake his FBI tail again, but only just. He went inside the Q and located the staff of the bar. As a bartender, he knew that no other person would have as good as intel because everyone eventually came to the bar for something, even if it was just water. He found someone who had worked the night before pretty quickly.

"Have you seen this woman?" he asked, holding up Mei's photo.

"Oh, yea," he nodded. "She was here with a guy. Black hair."

"Did anything seem off to you?"

"No. They were laughing and having a good time."

"How long were they here?"

"Hard to say. Last time I saw her was around midnight. She might have danced longer, though."

"All right thanks."

Luke left to find a manager. He needed to look at some camera footage. He was pretty persuasive. It also helped he carried around his old badge. No one looked at it too closely. When he found the person he was looking for, he explained the situation and what he was after. The manager was all too happy to help, and Luke found a shot of Mei leaving the club around 1:30 with Steve holding her arm. They got into his truck and left. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary at first glance, but Luke always saw what was underneath.

"Go back," he said.

"How far back?"

"Just rewind slowly until I see what I'm looking for."

The manager obeyed, and Luke watched in reverse Mei and Steve's exiting of the building. He noticed that Steve's grip on Mei's arm was not relaxed and casual. It was stiff and tight.

"Find another video of them," Luke said. "Try around the bar."

"You got it," the manager nodded, doing so.

"Stop," Luke said suddenly. The manager froze the image, and Luke bent closer to look. It was Steve all right, and he had something he was holding over Mei's drink.

"Shit," the manager breathed, seeing it too. "She was drugged!"

"Screen shot that for me," Luke said. The manager did so and printed it off. He also printed off the ones of them leaving.

"I hope you find her," the manager said. "I'm so sorry."

"I'll find her," Luke promised. He went back to the bartender, who looked up at him.

"Well? Any luck?" he asked.

"Is this the guy she was with?" Luke asked, showing him Steve's photo.

"Yea! That's the guy that was with your girl. Last time I saw him was around 1 a.m., and he got two drinks," the bartender said, peering at the photo. Then he realized.

"Oh, hell no," the bartender said, becoming angry. "He drugged her?! How did I miss that?!"

"It's not your fault. Busy night, lots of people...he obviously has done this before," Luke said.

"Hold on," the bartender said. He reached around under the bar and pulled out a wallet. Luke eyed it.

"He left this," the bartender told him, getting excited. "Someone brought it to me after they found it."

Luke took it from him carefully. It was like receiving a gift. He looked at the driver's license. Steve Bates.

"Thanks. This helps a lot."

"I'll be keeping my eye out for him," the bartender promised. "I will report him next time. Good luck."

Luke left the Q then, and he headed for Steve Bates's house.

...

Luke headed for Steve's door with his gun in front of him. The truck was in the driveway, and his heart was pounding. If Mei was here, he'd get her the hell away from him. He pounded his fist on the door. When no one answered, he tried the knob. It was unlocked. He went in cautiously.

"Steve!" he called. "Company!"

No one answered. No movement was made. Luke tread lightly over the stuff on the floor. It looked like someone had a big fight here recently. His heart sank as he realized who had probably put up the fight.

"Mei!" he shouted. He found the basement stairs, but before he could go down, someone struck him from behind. Luke recovered fast and spun to send his fist slamming into the perpetrator behind him. Steve went flying, and Luke was on him in an instant. Steve's gun was thrown far away, and Luke jammed his into Steve's forehead.

"Where is she?" he demanded. Steve just started to laugh, shaking his head.

"You'll never find her," he answered. Luke had half a mind to blow this idiots brains right out, but before he could do anything else, the FBI arrived.

"Hands where I can see them. Weapons down," Kate ordered. Luke looked at her.

"I do the dirty work and you take the credit," he noted.

"I won't tell you again. Weapons down and hands where I can see them," she repeated.

Luke reluctantly got off of Steve and tossed his gun down. An agent grabbed him and another hauled Steve up from the floor.

"Are those really necessary?" Luke asked when cuffs were put on him.

"Yes, they are," Kate answered. She walked out, leaving the forensics team to start doing their job. Luke rode in the back of her SUV to the FBI office. He kept his head up and straight as they walked to an interrogation room. Kate sat him down and then left him there. Luke knew it wouldn't be long before he was released.

...

"You found him where?" Alan asked, surprised.

"He tracked down the last place Mei was," Kate answered. "Steve's house."

"How did he do that before you guys?"

"I...I don't know. He is really pissing me off. I suggest we keep him detained until we find Mei."

"I don't know. It seems he's doing a pretty good job."

"He's not FBI!"

"I know. But I also know who he is," Alan sighed. Kate frowned, looking at him.

"What? Who is he?"

"It's classified. After you gave me his full name, I did a lot of digging with some people I know. Called in some favors. Kate, he's better on your team than off of it."

"Who the hell is he?" she demanded. "I have a right to know!"

"Maybe he'll tell you," Alan replied.

"Alan!"

"Kate, go work on finding Mei. And release Luke. He works with you now under your supervision."

Kate was very aggravated. She hated that Alan would not tell her who Luke was. She hated that this Luke guy was even getting clearance. He must be pretty damn special, not that she even cared.

"Had a nice chat with your boss?" Luke asked casually when she returned.

"Shut it, you," she ordered. "I don't know who you are or why you're getting such special treatment, but it does not change the fact that I am in charge here. Now I have to babysit you, so don't get in my way."

"I won't," Luke promised as she uncuffed him. She stormed back to her team. Luke followed. He had been given back his bag with the evidence in it too that they had taken from his truck.

"Has anyone got Steve to talk?" Kate asked.

"No," Henry answered. "He's not talking."

"Really. Let me at him," Luke ordered.

"You do not get to call shots here," Kate snapped. "Understood?"

"Understood, but if not one of you can get him to talk, then I'm your next best option."

"And you're gonna what, torture him? That does not fly here," Kate growled.

"Then release him and let me at him," Luke suggested.

"No! Absolutely not! And what is in that bag?" Kate asked. "What did you get from the Q?"

"Ah, you followed me there huh."

"You think you are untraceable, but you're not," Kate snorted.

"I found Steve," Luke said. "And you followed me to him, so there's not much else to add."

"How about the fact he drugged Mei," Kate said, looking at the photos.

"Right. Get up to speed, will you?" Luke commented. Kate glared at him.

"He could have met up with anyone anywhere and dumped her," Kate said, feeling angry at herself for being three steps behind Luke.

"What if we traced her phone up until it got shut off?" Henry asked. "Bounce it off the nearby towers to see where she went."

"Brilliant. Do that," Kate instructed. Henry set to work quickly. If they could find the very last place she was before her phone was shut off, maybe it would lead them to where she had been taken.

"She was at Steve's place last," Luke said, confused. "Start from there."

"If Steve moved her from there, he might have left her cell on until the new person got her," Kate explained. "If that's the case, we can find where she was taken."

"Got it. Truck stop," Henry said eagerly.

"Pull up the address," Kate ordered. He obeyed.

"Let's go," she said. It was one step closer to finding Mei.

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**As always, I hope someone out there is reading and enjoying this story. I'm a little more motivated to write when I get feedback :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**I was so happy to see another review from you, Nicki! Alejandro comes into play in chapter 5, so we're almost there ;) I hope you like this chapter too!**

**Warning: This chapter could be triggering for some. I don't get too graphic with details of violence etc., but I warn all the same.**

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_Brace yourself for all will pay...help is on the way._

"And what are you going to find here?" Luke asked when they got to the truck stop. It was devoid of anything. Kate was scanning the garbage bins and under the benches for any clues. Anything at all. Her teammates were also searching around the area.

"Henry?" she asked. He was set up with his computer on the tailgate and was going through the footage from the street camera across from the truck stop that he'd noticed when they arrived.

"Just going through footage now," Henry answered. Kate and Luke stood behind him and watched.

"That's him," Luke said, pointing to the black truck that pulled in. There was a small delivery truck waiting there for them. He clenched his fists as he watched Steve pull a clearly unconscious Mei to that truck and getting help loading her in. He had to turn away because it hurt too much that he had failed to keep her safe.

"Wait," Kate said, jabbing her finger at the screen. "He's got another one."

"What?" Luke asked, looking. Sure enough, Steve was carrying a second victim to join Mei.

"She's not alone," Henry said.

"Follow where that truck goes," Kate ordered. Henry did so, but they lost it in traffic. Kate began to pace.

"If this is cartel related, then they're heading for the border. It's a long drive, though, and would they really risk getting their load checked?" she asked herself. She was thinking hard. Why would cartel even be up here anyway?

"Check for small airports," Luke told Henry. "They were probably flown down there."

"What if that's not where they're heading, though?" Kate asked. "I mean, we don't really know."

"Henessy's victims are usually trafficked within the States," Henry agreed. "She could be anywhere."

"But you said Steve was cartel," Luke pointed out. "This could be completely separate from Henessy."

"It could be," Kate nodded. She felt sick. "But I don't think so."

"What makes you think that?" Luke asked.

"It's just strange to me that a member of the cartel is all the way up here. I think Mei was targeted intentionally. I think Henessy discovered she was on his case, and he's cleaning up by using his connections with the cartel."

"Wait...but you are too," Henry pointed out. "Is he gonna come after you?"

"I'll be waiting," Kate said fiercely. Let Henessy come and try to get her. She started to pace.

"Found the truck again," Henry called, making Kate rush back to him and Luke to look over his shoulder. "Airport. Like Luke said."

"We can't see anything going on there," Kate noted, annoyed.

"Well, if they're helping to traffic people, then can't you do a raid on them?" Luke asked. "You have evidence that two girls were taken there."

"You're right," Kate said, standing up straight. She was a little mad at herself for not realizing that first. She didn't like Luke being ahead of her all the time. She went to round up her team.

"Good work, Henry," Luke said, clapping his shoulder.

"Thanks," Henry smiled. Luke went to listen in on Kate's explanation of the raid. When her team geared up by the back of the truck, he stood waiting.

"You're not coming," Kate said, donning her body armor and loading her gun. "You and Henry can go back to the office."

"When are you going to trust me?" Luke asked.

She looked at him sharply. Trust him? He had given her no reason to trust him so far.

"This isn't about trust. This is FBI business, and you are not an FBI agent," she told him.

"Should I call and have a chat with Alan? He seems to think I'm a part of this team now," Luke pointed out. Kate gritted her teeth in frustration. Of course he'd threaten to run to her boss. She went to stand in front of him.

"My team consists of people that I know very well. I know nothing about you, and it was made clear to me that it wasn't my business to know. You want to be on my team, you tell me who you really are," she said, crossing her arms. Luke moved in until he was practically right in front of her face. Kate didn't blink. She would not be intimidated.

"I'm someone else's worst nightmare, that's who I am. I have always done my job well, and my team was never let down. That's all you need to know," he told her. Kate was beginning to think that perhaps Luke was more than just a good ex cop.

"You cover my team, that's all," she instructed.

"You'll regret that. I'm a front man."

"Well, today you're a back man," she retorted.

"Not happening."

"You listen to me..." she began.

"No, you listen to me," he cut her off. "You think you can just boss me around cos you're team lead, but I am not someone you can just boss around."

"You need to stand down," she said, crossing her arms.

"And you need to chill out," he retorted. She glared at him.

"Um, Kate?" Henry said, interrupting. She looked at him.

"What?"

"Just let him play."

"Excuse me?"

"He obviously knows what he's doing. Alan wants him working with us, so let him work."

"Henry, I can't believe you're..."

"I'm not taking sides. I'm just thinking about Mei and how we're gonna find her as a team," Henry said meaningfully, putting emphasis on the word "team." Both Kate and Luke felt bad then. Their bickering was wasting precious time they needed to find Mei.

"Fine," Kate said. She directed him to where the others were gearing up, but he didn't put on any armor. He took three guns, though.  
"Where's your armor?" she asked after she joined them by the truck after telling Henry to head back to the office.

"I don't wear any," Luke answered.

"Showing me that you have guts doesn't make me trust you anymore than I barely do," she snapped. He shrugged.

"Okay, people," she went on, moving away from him. "We go in hot. Stop anyone from running. No collateral damage if you can help it. We need answers, and dead people don't talk."

The group nodded in unison and chattered as they climbed into the back of the truck. Kate and Luke sat near the doors, ready to go out first. She gave him a look because she was mad he got his way once again, but he ignored her. After a half hour ride, they came to a stop. Kate burst out of the doors, sweeping the area, her rifle in front of her. Luke went in the opposite direction she went, and the rest of the team split into two groups. There was shouting in the air, and people went running. Most of them were easily captured and put on the ground. Luke was inside the hangar now, and someone was jumping into a plane.

"Oh no you don't," he said, sprinting towards the plane as it started.

"Luke!" he heard Kate shout. "Stop!" He did not heed her and yanked open the plane door, hauling himself inside. He grabbed the pilot by their neck and pulled them away from the controls. The pilot was instantly on his feet, fighting back.

"Shit," Kate swore, storming towards the plane. Everyone else had been contained by this point. She boarded the plane to find Luke holding the pilot in a choke hold. Luke's face had a cut on his cheek, but the pilot looked worse for wear.

"Stop!" she shouted again, aiming her gun at him.

"I'm not killing him. I'm just calming him down," Luke assured her. The pilot was smacking Luke's arms, choking.

"Let him go right now," Kate ordered. Luke dropped him hard, and the pilot hit the floor, gasping for air. Kate bent to cuff him and pulled him up to his feet. She glared at Luke, who was calmly looking back at her as she marched the pilot out. She went over to where the others had been sat down in a line of chairs and added the pilot to the last chair. Then she stood in front of them all.

"Okay," she said. "We know you're involved in trafficking, so who is gonna give me the information that I need?"

"Piss off, lady," one snorted. Luke promptly walked over and punched him in the face.

"Hey!" Kate shouted at him. "That is not how we operate here."

"Then good luck getting answers," Luke advised.

Their captives looked at them with either confused or stony faces. Kate knew he was right, but she didn't do dirty. She wasn't capable of doing it. Clearly Luke was able to do it, though.

"Fine," she said. "I didn't see anything."

"Kate?" her one team member, John, said. "You sure about this?"

"He's off the books. Alan ordered me to take him under my supervision, and technically he isn't FBI."

"But...this is brute force..."

"I don't see anything," Kate insisted. John swallowed and looked away. The other members said nothing as Luke hauled up the smart ass guy to his feet. He walked them over to the plane that was still on, blades whirring. Kate felt sick at the idea of what Luke was going to do.

"I don't know, man! I swear! I swear!" the guy was shouting. The wind from the blades was making his voice choppy. Luke went to push him forward into the blades when he shrieked.

"All right! All right! I saw the girls! I saw them!"

Luke pulled him back and dragged him over to Kate.

"See?" he said. "All you need is a little persuasion."

The guy was flat out crying now. Kate gestured for John to take him around back to be questioned further.

"Anyone else?" Luke asked.

"I flew them," the pilot answered, not wanting to be tortured. He was brought back too. Luke surveyed the rest, who were quiet.

"How many of you didn't know what was going on here?" he asked. One woman and one man spoke up.

"We're just the cleaners. Honest."

"Check them out," Kate ordered, and they were taken to a separate area to be questioned further. It left five. Luke pulled out his pistol and unloaded all the bullets except for one. He put it back in and spun the barrel. He knew it was in the very last slot, but the others didn't need to know that. He wasn't actually going to shoot them, but they didn't need to know that either, not if he wanted to get results.

"Luke..." Kate warned.

"Who drove the truck?" Luke asked. He had seen it hidden in the back. He aimed his gun at the five men in the chairs. When no one answered, he picked one and pulled the trigger.

The man yelled in fear as the gun clicked. No bullet came out. Luke raised a brow at him.

"Him," the man whispered, tilting his head to the left. "At the end."

Luke walked down to the last man who stared at him. He had a neck tattoo and a ball cap on. His green dyed hair poked out from under the hat.

"You, huh?" Luke asked.

"Says him. He's lying."

"Funny thing when your life is threatened," Luke commented. "It tends to make people tell the truth."

The guy just stared back at him, not giving anything. Luke looked at the other four men.

"Does he drive the truck?" he asked. They all nodded. He looked back at green head. "Seems you've been outvoted."

Kate gestured, and the guy was removed. Luke surveyed the other four.

"So, you all knew what was going on here?" he asked.

"I had suspicions, but I just confirmed them last week," one said. "I'm still new here."

"We were paid to keep quiet," another said. "Our families were threatened."

"Okay," Kate said. "We'll deal with this."

Luke stepped back to allow her to work. He tried not to think about Mei. He knew she'd probably be scared wherever she was. He walked around waiting for news, taking in the hangar and around the outside of it.

"Luke?" Kate called, appearing after about an hour.

"Get anything?" he asked. He was leaning against the FBI truck.

"Pilot claimed he only flew them to Los Angeles, California, not Mexico."

"Los Angeles?" Luke asked. "Why there?"

"Henessy picks random places for his girls. Usually they end up working in clubs or other places to make him money."

Luke closed his eyes and clenched his jaw to prevent himself from throwing up.

"That's if he hasn't killed her first," he said quietly. "After all, if he knows she was working his case, why keep her around?" He wanted to find this man and kill him. No one was allowed to hurt Mei. No one.

_Luke Wright is a ghost, a deadly ghost._

"We will find her, Luke," Kate promised.

"So when do we leave?" he asked, changing the subject.

"I've alerted the FBI field office down there that we're coming. They'll host us and help us out."

"When do we leave?" he repeated.

"As soon as we wrap up here," she answered. She went back inside, and Luke inhaled and exhaled long and hard. He couldn't help but have a bad feeling about Mei.

...

Mei bounced from motel to motel, car to car, and she was growing pissed off. The shock of Steve revealing his true self without her figuring it out was insulting and hurtful. Her captors were still transporting her to her real destination where they told her she would start work. Mei knew what work they were talking about, and she was not going to be a part of it. She'd rather die. She looked at the other girl who was with her, and she looked barely 18. She didn't talk at all. She had a guy with a gun on each side of her and the other girl, and she calculated what it would take for her to take them out and escape. They never gave her any leeway, though, for her to try and pull it off. It was frustrating. She thought about Luke and knew how worried and angry he'd be. She hoped Kate wasn't being too hard on herself. Mei didn't think this was related to the Henessy case, but she couldn't be certain. When the car stopped, she braced herself. As usual, she was dragged out with her partner and hauled inside a building. Mei memorized the route of the building in seconds as they walked. It was her gift after all, memorization. They brought her before a man who was standing and looking out his window at the city.

"Hello," he said, turning to look at them. "Mei is it? I'm Raul."

Mei didn't answer.

"Ah, yes. I understand you're angry. I had to take drastic measures, you see, because no one would volunteer for this job."

"I won't do it," she snapped.

"The job isn't what you think," Raul went on. "I've heard of your great talent, and I wish to put it to use."

"You heard wrong."

Raul sighed. He had the one guard bring the other young girl forward and put his gun to her head. The girl screamed.

"Let me show you something, and you tell me if you remember it. You lie to me, and she dies."

Mei felt frustrated at this blackmail. It made sense now why they brought her and someone else. They knew Mei would protect the younger girl. Raul held up paper with 30 numbers on it for about ten seconds before lowering it.

"What were the numbers?" he asked. The young girl looked petrified. Of course, Mei knew a lot of people were not used to her kind of skill. She knew Raul would be true to his word if she lied. Mei inhaled and rhymed off the numbers while Raul looked at them on his paper. His smile widened when she was done.

"Incredible," he said.

"What is the job?" Mei asked dully.

"I have a friend in Mexico that needs someone to help him with the books. You refuse, and this girl here will be put to work in the original job you thought I had planned for you."

Mei closed her eyes briefly. This couldn't be happening to her. She had escaped the counting world when Luke had saved her from Han 11 years ago.

"What books am I doing?"

"You'll be filled in once you get there."

"How are you getting us across the border?" Mei asked.

"Oh, I have ways," Raul dismissed. "No worries there." He looked at the guards. "Take them to their quarters. Do not let them out of your sight."

Mei and the other girl were taken away to a room downstairs. Mei saw a room full of fancy cars as they walked down the hall, and she wondered what they were used for. Mei put her hand on the other girl's arm comfortingly as they walked. If Mei could keep her safe, she would. It wasn't this girl's fault that she got caught up in this shit. Steve had been smart to know Mei would need persuasion. When they were put into the next room, Beth sank down on one of the mattresses on the floor and started to sob. Mei stood and stared out the little window into the hallway. She hoped Luke would hurry and find her soon, if he could even find her at all. She tried not to think about the latter part.

...

Kate was quiet on the flight to L.A. while Luke bounced his leg absently as he surveyed the other people on the plane. Henry was across the aisle from them. Kate had insisted that he come too. She didn't want to risk something happening to him in case Henessy was after those who were working his case. She figured if he was with her, she'd have better odds of keeping an eye on him. Luke guessed Henry was in his mid 20s by the look of him. He still seemed to look to Kate for guidance every so often too, which suggested he was still semi new to the FBI. He hoped Henry was good enough to help them. Kate looked out the window and thought about Mei. Was she scared? Was she okay? She wished she could somehow let her know that they were coming for her. In her heart, though, she had a feeling Mei already knew that.

"She was just a kid," Luke said suddenly, making Kate look at him.

"What?"

"When I first met Mei."

"I knew it," Kate said. "You're not really her uncle."

"No. I'm her friend."

_As my friend always says, tomorrow is another day._

Mei's words rang in her head. So Mei considered Luke her friend, not a guardian or family. Kate found this interesting.

"How did she come to be with you?" Kate asked, curious. She couldn't help it. She wanted to know.

"Long story short, I saw her trying to outrun the Russian mafia, so I decided to help. She was working for the Triad boss Han Jiao counting for him to save a paper trail for his casinos, and they were after some very classified information they could use as blackmail. She got caught up in the war between them, the Russian mafia, and the police."

"So, you rescued her," Kate noted.

"Yes. We left New York behind us and came out to Seattle so she could be normal and go to a school for the gifted."

Kate finally realized why Mei was interested in working with kidnap cases. She had obviously been kidnapped herself and forced to work for Han. She shivered. How terrifying for a young girl.

"What about her family?" she asked.

"She didn't know her father. Her mother died while she was working for Han. He blackmailed her with her mother's death if she didn't cooperate, that's why she did it."

"Poor girl," Kate said. Luke just nodded.

"I promised to keep her safe," he finished.

"That's a hard task, especially now that she's an adult."

Luke didn't respond. Kate waited a bit before daring to ask.

"And you? What's your story?"

"I'm not up to sharing that right now."

"Oh, come on," Kate said, exasperated.

"Sorry," he shrugged.

"You are incredibly infuriating," Kate said. "Not to mention a pain in my ass."

"Thanks. I can cross that off my bucket list."

Kate went back to being annoyed by him. So much for figuring him out. She went back to looking out the window. At least he had shared about Mei. It was a start.

* * *

**As always, I enjoy hearing your thoughts! :)**

**Chapter was inspired by the album Cryogenesis by Colossal Trailer Music**


	4. Chapter 4

**I hope you're all still enjoying this story.  
**

* * *

_When they come for me, I'll be gone._

After they had landed and made their way out of the airport, they found the SUV waiting for them as promised with guns and ammo as well as other essential items two FBI agents and Luke would need.

"No," Kate said when Luke went for a pistol. He looked at her.

"What?"

"That's my gun," she gestured.

"Says who?"

"Says me."

"What makes it your gun?"

"Because," Kate said, crossing her arms and daring him to challenge her. Not breaking eye contact, Luke picked up the gun anyway and put it in the holster on his leg. She narrowed her eyes at him, but he didn't flinch.

"Look at that," he commented when she said nothing. "It's my gun now." Kate went around him to the gun box and pulled out a shot gun.

"That's okay," she said to him. "It's always good to know which guns we can handle and which ones we can't."

"I can handle a shot gun," Luke scoffed.

"Oh, look at that. It's my gun now," she retorted, putting it over her shoulder and heading to the passenger side of the SUV. Henry was hiding his smirk as he stood watching. Then he got into the back. Luke sighed and shook his head, shutting the hatch and moving to the driver's side. Henry gave him directions as he started driving. Kate was going through files on her lap and ignoring both him and Henry. Luke looked over at them briefly when they were at a red light, catching sight of a photograph of a fancy car.

"What's that from?" he asked, reaching and tapping the photo.

"It's Henessy's car collection. If you'd gone over my notes, you'd know that."

"You're sure this is related to Henessy?" Luke asked, ignoring the snarky jab.

"I'm becoming more convinced, yes. Henessy moves around the girls, and someone else moves around the drugs. I think he is linked to both worlds, though."

"You think we'll run into Matt Graver?" Henry asked from the backseat.

"God, I hope not," Kate growled.

"Who is he?" Luke asked.

"CIA. Asshole. Does things that are not by the book," she answered.

"I see."

_I'm gonna tell everyone what you did._

_That would be a major mistake._

Kate clenched her jaw hard then. She hoped that Matt and Alejandro were long gone from this business by now. Luke found the FBI office easily enough, and they walked inside together.

"I'm looking for special agent Carter Young," Kate said to the receptionist.

"You are?"

"Special agent Kate Macer. Seattle."

"Conference room one," the woman said, pointing. She eyed Henry and Luke as they followed Kate. Once in the room, they waited. A tall man with short, blonde hair showed up out of breath about five minutes later.

"Sorry I'm late," he huffed. "You're Kate?"

"Yes."

"Carter."

They shook hands.

"This is agent Henry DeLuca. This is Luke Wright."

"Not an agent?" Carter asked, shaking their hands and stopping at Luke.

"No."

Carter looked at Kate curiously.

"He's under contract with us," Kate explained. "Long story."

"Okay, so by the sounds of things after my meeting with Alan, you're after my cartel guy," Carter went on, moving to the front of the table and spreading out the files he had brought. One slid too far and fell off the table. Carter flushed a little as he retrieved it. His first impression was not going so well already. He cleared his throat.

"Who is he?" Kate asked.

"We have reason to believe it's a fellow by the name of Raul Rodriguez. He's rumored to be notorious for moving drugs around from Mexico to here and girls down to Mexico from here, but we don't have evidence to prove this for sure. Also, how he does it, we still haven't quite figured out. We do know that he hires drivers. We don't know what for exactly, but we assume it's to move his product around. We've had a few of us go undercover and try to get in as a driver, but none of us can win the race to even qualify."

Luke listened carefully, and he felt his interest peak.

"I have been after Raul for months. He's clever, and he's careful, which are both things I hate in a bad guy. But, it also means that eventually they get cocky, and when they do and slip up, I'll be there," Carter finished, smacking his fist into his palm to make his point. This gesture knocked his pen onto the ground, and he bent to retrieve it, feeling slightly embarrassed again. Two goof ups in less than ten minutes. He was really looking like an amateur now. Carter knew it was Kate. She was prettier than he'd expected.

"Do you think Raul is connected to Henessy?" Kate asked when he was sitting up in his seat again.

"Who's Henessy?" Carter frowned. "I've never heard of him. I'm assuming it's a him?"

"Yes. He's my case. I only have the name Henessy. I don't even know if it's his first or last name. He's a human trafficker. I believe he also dabbles in drugs, though," she explained. "I have one photo, but it's a far range shot and slightly blurry. Definitely a male, though. I can also confirm he has black hair, but that is all I can tell."

"Hmm. I believe they could be connected then, if Henessy is in charge of the girls. It would explain how Raul is getting access to them. Why haven't I heard of Henessy before?" Carter asked, frowning still as he looked through his papers for the name Henessy in case he missed it.

"He just popped up onto my radar a month ago," Kate offered. She didn't want him to feel bad. She could see how hard he was trying to impress her right now.

"Well, he needs to be on my radar too, then, if he's connected to Raul. I will go through all my photos again to see if I have a shot of Raul with a black haired guy, and we can compare with your photo."

"Thank you," Kate nodded.

"This is bigger than I originally thought," Carter sighed in frustration. "God, it just never ends, you know? Sometimes this job gets to me." He rubbed his head hard.

"I'll fill you in on everything I know," Kate promised. "And it gets better, Carter. The reward is putting them away." She gave him a smile, and he smiled back.

"I appreciate that, and you're right. There's nothing like arresting a target you've been chasing for months. So, are you here just for Raul?" Carter asked, looking at the three of them. "Alan didn't elaborate on the reason for your trip. Why come to L.A.? Is Henessy here? Tell me so I can flush the bastard out. I don't like garbage in my city, not any more than I already have."

Luke shifted a little, a memory being triggered in his mind.

_You? Garbage man?  
_

_You got bad information. I never collected garbage...I disposed of it._

He remembered seeing Mei on that train after he'd taken out the Russians. She had been staring at him with an expression he hadn't been able to read, but it didn't seem like it was fear.

"My colleague and protege was kidnapped," Kate said to Carter, bringing Luke back to the present moment. "We were told by a pilot that she was brought down here. If she's still here, I don't know. She could be in Mexico for all I know."

"Oh God. I'm so sorry. Do you think Raul has moved her?" Carter asked. He felt bad for Mei. Raul was bad news. He'd seen the photos of the girls who had managed to escape from Raul's clutches. That's if she wasn't dead already.

"I do if Raul is cartel. Her so called boyfriend who trafficked her was wearing a bracelet that connects him to cartel, and, well, you said it yourself that this Raul guy is suspected of moving girls down there. If he's working with Henessy, then Mei could have been sent down there to get rid of her."

"Geez. Okay. Well, if I can help with anything, let me know."

"Get us into a race," Luke piped up. Carter looked at him quizzically.

"What?"

"You guys might not win, but I can," Luke went on.

"I will have to speak with my supervisor. If you're not an agent, I can't clear you to do it."

"Carter, come on," Kate said.

"I said I'd talk to him," Carter repeated. "All I can do is try."

"Hey, Carter?" a guy said, popping his head into the room. "A moment?"

"Not now, Jeff," Carter huffed. "I'm in the middle of something."

"It's important," Jeff urged.

"Give me five minutes."

"All right."

When the door shut, Carter exhaled loudly. Then he looked at Luke again.

"If it's all right with you, I want to speak with Kate and Henry alone."

"It's not okay with me," Luke said immediately.

"Luke, go sit in the car," Kate ordered. She gave him a look that went with it, and he understood that it meant she would tell him what was said later.

"Fine," he replied gruffly. He walked out and went to the car, getting into the passenger side this time. He was looking around out the window when he heard a cell phone go off. He looked and saw that Kate had forgotten her phone, and he couldn't help but see the message on the screen. He frowned.

**Kate, she's really going downhill fast. You need to come. Please.**

"Useless, waste of time," Kate huffed, opening the door and slamming it. Luke watched her look at her phone and stare at it for a moment. She clicked it off and set it down without responding to the text. Henry got into the backseat by this point. He looked disappointed as well.

"What happened?" Luke asked, deciding to not ask her about the message yet.

"Carter gave the old 'I'll keep you in the loop' speech. I know because I've given it to other agents who try to take my case from me," she answered. "And I get it. He's worked this case for a long time and doesn't want us to just take over. If someone tried to take my Henessy case from me, I'd tell them to piss off too, but I don't have time for that shit right now. I guess we're on our own again." Luke noticed that she said "we," and he felt a little surprised that she included him. Then again, she could be referring to Henry. Luke spied a rather fancy looking car coming down the street and pass them.

"Follow that," he said.

"What? Why?"

"Where there's a nice car like that, there's a street racer. Where there's a street racer, there's usually answers and information about a race," Luke explained. "If Carter isn't going to help us get into that race, then I need to do it on my own." Kate wasted no time starting the SUV and pulling out behind the car.

"So what, you're just gonna approach them and ask about street racing?" Kate asked as they drove.

"I'll figure it out when I get there," Luke replied.

"You can't just wing this," she argued.

"Watch me."

"I really think you need a plan..."

"Kate, back off," Luke said sharply. Kate bit her reply back. He really was infuriating sometimes.

They parked a few spaces away, and Luke watched the guy get out and head into the diner.

"I'll be back," Luke said, getting out. Kate watched him head down to the diner and disappear inside. She leaned back into her seat and sighed. She looked at her phone again, but she couldn't bring herself to answer her father. She was still in denial.

...

Luke noticed a bunch of guys sitting together as soon as he walked in. He headed towards them casually. They stared at him almost immediately.

"Who's got that sweet ride out front?" Luke asked.

"Who's askin'?" a guy countered.

"I'm just curious. I'm a little new to the area, and I'm looking for some good times on the streets. You know where I can burn some rubber?" Luke asked. The guys nodded and grinned.

"There's always something going down," the first guy said. "Whatcha got?"

"I'm on my way to pick it out right now," Luke answered.

"Nice! Here's where you can find some info," the guy said, handing him a card.

"Thanks, mate," Luke grinned. He left then, hoping Kate was able to get him some kind of working car.

...

"This is the best you can do?" Luke asked, dismayed. They were at their motel room, and he was looking at a Mazda on Henry's laptop screen. Kate gave him a look.

"What did you expect?"

"Something better," Luke retorted.

"Well, this is the best I can do."

"I don't believe that."

"Well, you should."

"I don't."

"I can do better," Henry answered, interrupting their bickering. He was linked into the FBI database. "I can find you an impounded car from the L.A. office with my FBI clearance."

"Do that," Luke nodded. Carter was about to learn that they did not need him at all.

"Oohhh here it is," Henry said, getting excited. As Luke leaned in, Kate rolled her eyes. Men and their cars. Honestly.

"Perfect," Luke said, fist bumping Henry. "Get it."

"Done."

"So what is this going to do for us?" Kate asked after.

"If word is that Raul is transporting drugs and girls across the border in cars with drivers, then this is how I infiltrate his business. I get hired as a driver, and we get evidence. I find out where they sent Mei. It's what Carter said his guys had tried to do and failed. They obviously don't know how to drive."

"And you do?"

"You bet."

"Carter said they didn't have actual evidence to prove Raul is doing what they suspect him of doing. What if we find nothing?"

"Then I get to drive a really cool car really fast," Luke smirked. She exhaled loudly and turned to walk away and out of the room. She could hear Luke and Henry laughing at her all the way down the hall before the door shut behind her.

...

"Katie, you gotta come," her father said in her ear. Kate leaned against the wall outside of the motel, smoking her cigarette. She'd tried to quit a few times, but it never stuck. She really should try harder, considering.

"I'm in L.A., Dad. I'm trying to find my kidnapped coworker. I can't just leave."

"She's dying."

"I know. She won't die tomorrow, though, right?"

"She could."

There was silence for a bit. She knew her father wasn't trying to make her feel bad, but she was starting to feel bad.

"I'll come when it's over."

"Katie, it's really touch and go. I really think you should come now."

"I can't, Dad."

"Katie, your sister needs you. She keeps asking for you. Your mother and I don't know what to tell her. How can we tell her that her own sister can't come see her before she dies?"

"Dad, stop," Kate ordered. She gripped her forehead. She vaguely noticed Luke coming outside and stop a few feet away from her. She was crying now. An image of her sister wearing her bandana hooked up to tubes and smiling sadly at her flashed through her mind.

_You should try it. Feels amazing._

_Treena, only you could make a joke about chemo._

_I do my best, Katie. I do my best. Without humor, what's the point?_

"Katie, I beg you. Come see your sister."

"She's not dying, Dad," Kate insisted. "She's not. She's fine. I know it. The doctors are wrong." She stamped out her cigarette, her hands shaking now. Her father sighed heavily, and she knew the truth. Treena was dying from stage four cancer that had spread everywhere. Kate was just in denial.

"Kate?" Luke asked.

"I have to go, Dad. I'll call tomorrow," Kate promised. She hung up before her father could plead with her some more. She pocketed her phone and looked at Luke.

"You all right?" he asked. She wiped at her tears furiously. She hated crying. She hated being vulnerable.

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine."

"Okay, Sherlock, so maybe I'm not fine. It's none of your business," Kate snapped at him.

Luke had a feeling the phone call had something to do with the message he'd seen earlier, but he didn't pry. If she didn't want to tell him, she didn't have to. He wondered who was dying.

"Henry and I are going to get the car," Luke said.

"Fine. I'll stay here."

"Okay."

Henry came out on cue then, and Luke gave her one last look before turning to follow him to the SUV. Kate went inside without looking back. Her guilt was eating her alive, and she couldn't bear to see the pity on Luke's face any longer.

...

"What is happening?" Beth asked fearfully. She and Mei were waiting, but what they were waiting for, Mei wasn't sure. Their hands were zip tied in front of them still.

"I don't know," Mei answered. She kept her hands on Beth as best as she could. She didn't want to get separated.

"All right," Carlos, their one captor, said. He led them from their room to the one that had the cars in it. He popped the trunk on one. Mei looked at it suspiciously.

"Get in," he ordered.

"Both of us?"

"One. The other goes in another car."

"I get car sick," Beth whispered.

"It'll be okay," Mei assured her. She looked at Carlos then. "Where are we going?"

"For a drive. We get you to Mexico safely so you can work."

Mei helped Beth into the trunk carefully. She climbed into the other trunk afterwards.

"No funny business," Carlos warned as he slammed the trunk down. Mei felt a little claustrophobic, but she forced herself to breathe and relax. She was already working on a plan.

...

"This. Is. Awesome," Henry said, grinning widely. He and Luke were signing out a 1970 Charger. The impound cop looked bored as he handed over the keys.

"See you back at the motel," Luke said.

"Wait, can I drive it?"

"No," Luke shook his head, snorting. "This car needs a professional at the wheel."

"I used to race," Henry countered. "NASCAR." He had almost mentioned it to Carter, but the pressure of winning was too much for him. If Luke was willing to do it, then Henry was fine with that.

"I seriously doubt that," Luke said. Henry pulled out his phone and went through photos before pulling up one of him in a NASCAR outfit. Luke stared at it.

"Get out," he said.

"I started right after 18. Then I almost died in a crash a year later, so I stopped," Henry said, putting his phone away. "But sometimes...sometimes I miss the speed."

"All right," Luke caved, tossing him the keys. "Just don't wreck it."

"Yes!" Henry fist pumped and ran to get into it. Luke laughed as he got into the SUV and started it up. They drove back together, Henry following Luke. The next thing Luke needed to do was find a decent garage to fix it up in.

...

Mei slammed around in the trunk for what felt like hours. When the car finally stopped, she was ready to vomit. The trunk was opened, and she was hauled out. It was night outside and very black out. There was no moon, no stars. The headlights of the cars were still on, though, and Mei could see about seven people illuminated by them. Beth was put beside her, and she was shivering. Mei was a bit cold herself too since she was still in her dress and all. She noticed only one person was guarding them now. The others were focused on the drivers. Mei had figured out that was who was standing in front of the headlights of each car. When the cartel began shooting the drivers, Beth screamed. Mei took this opportunity of chaos and noise to attack her guard. He was taken by surprise as she kicked and head butted him. She managed to pull out his gun and shoot him. No one heard since other gunshots were still going off.

"Come on!" she urged Beth. She kept the gun in her hands as they raced away. Mei saw a car parked a little bit away and checked it for keys. They were in the ignition.

"Get in!" she said to Beth, who obliged. Mei started the car and peeled off. Driving with her hands tied together was a bit awkward, but she managed. She hoped they would get enough of a head start. She knew they'd eventually have to ditch the car, but she'd get them far enough away first.

"Find a knife," she ordered Beth. "We can cut ourselves free."

"Okay," Beth said shakily, beginning to search. She was still freaking out about the murders she had just witnessed. Mei made a mental note to avenge those poor drivers when she got back home. Raul was going to go down.

* * *

**So if you're thinking it seems similar to the Fast and Furious 4 film, you'd be right. It's a bit similar, but it's also different. I'll say I'm borrowing the idea just to be on the safe side. I look forward to hearing your thoughts!**


	5. Chapter 5

_We're never gonna survive unless we get a little crazy._

"What are you doing?" Kate asked, standing and looking down at the two pairs of feet and legs sticking out from underneath the car. Luke had found a garage run by an older gentleman, Howard, who was kind enough to let them borrow it. He had a granddaughter, and he could only imagine how it would feel to lose her, so he wanted to help. Kate was miffed Luke had told him the truth, but in the end, she didn't mind Howard.

"They're adding parts to the car," Howard explained.

"What parts?"

"Oh, you know. NOS."

"What is that?"

"Makes the car go faster," Luke's voice came from under the car.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Kate asked them. Henry scoffed.

"Kate, I know cars very well. My dad was a mechanic."

"Your dad was. You aren't."

"I spent enough time helping him to know what to do and what not to do," Henry said. Kate heard a bang and him cursing afterwards.

"I'm guessing that was something not to do," she commented.

"No comment," Henry replied. She paced, not knowing what else to do. She kept thinking about her sister. She kept thinking about Mei. She didn't really know what she was doing anymore.

"You all right, love?" Howard asked her, noticing her mood.

"I will be," Kate answered.

"You know, this is the most excitement I've had in a lot of years," Howard went on. "When I lost my wife, things got a bit lonely. This is the only thing that keeps me going each day."

"I'm sorry," Kate said.

"It's all right. We had almost 45 wonderful years together. She's in a good place," Howard said.

Luke was listening from underneath the car. It marveled him that Howard could pick up on Kate's mood like that.

"But you miss her," Kate pointed out.

"Of course I miss her, but she's with me wherever I go. She's in here," Howard said, tapping his heart.

"Right," Kate agreed. She felt her own heart lurch at this, and an image of Treena came to mind again.

"That should do it," Henry declared, rolling out from the car. He had grease on his cheek and hands. Luke rolled out after him, and he somehow had nothing on him except a little bit of dirt on his fingers.

"So what happens now?" Kate asked. Luke pulled out the card he got the day before and looked at it.

"Now I call for a race," he answered.

"Carter is gonna be pissed," Henry chuckled.

"Carter should have helped us out," Kate retorted. "He doesn't need to know what we're doing anyway."

"Thank you for letting us work here," Luke said to Howard, shaking his hand.

"I wish you the best of luck. I hope you find Mei," Howard replied.

"I will," Luke nodded. He got into the driver's seat while Henry got in the passenger's seat, and he started the car. Kate could feel it in her chest as it rumbled.

"See you back at the motel," she said, heading for her SUV. She was going to drive around for a bit to clear her head. She needed to.

...

Beth was sleeping in the passenger seat. Mei had driven all night, and they found themselves in the middle of nowhere. She didn't know who to trust, and she also didn't have any money for gas, not that there was a nearby town anyway. The rest of their journey would have to be on foot or with someone who could help them. She just didn't know who that would be. She had no phone or way of calling Luke. She had to figure this out on her own.

"Where are we?" Beth asked, waking up. She looked around.

"I'm not sure," Mei answered. "I imagine people will be looking for us, though."

"Are we going to die?"

"Not if I can help it," Mei answered firmly. She parked the car and searched the inside for food or water. She found two water bottles and some energy bars. They would have to do. She handed them to Beth to hang onto, and they got out.

"I'm scared, Mei," Beth told her.

"I know," Mei said. _Me too._

They started walking.

...

"Oh, yea!" Henry exclaimed when Kate finally made it back to the motel room over an hour later.

"What?" she asked.

"He got us in!"

"A race?"

"What else?" Henry asked, wrinkling his nose.

"Well, good. At least there's some good news for today," Kate muttered. Luke was leaning against the mini counter and watching her. He could tell something was bothering her a lot.

"It's for tonight," Henry went on. "So, what should we do?"

"Do?"

"Yea. I mean, Luke's gonna race. What do you want me to do? What are you gonna do?"

Kate thought about it.

"You should gather intel I guess," she said. "Find Raul and make his guys. The more information we have on them the better."

"Got it," Henry nodded. "And you?"

"I'll figure something out. Why is your hat on backwards?" she asked him, noticing. He was also wearing baggy jeans and a jersey type shirt. And was that a chain around his neck?!

"I gotta blend into the crowd," Henry shrugged.

"You look ridiculous," she snorted.

"Then it's working," he grinned. "I'll grab my stuff." He went to his separated room off the back, leaving Luke and Kate alone together.

"Something on your mind?" he asked her.

"No."

"You sure? Cos you forgot your phone here, and it rang a lot. Ten missed calls from your father," Luke finished. Kate went over to her phone on the counter and grabbed it.

"You looked at my phone?" she asked, growing angry.

"I couldn't help but see who the caller was," he answered. "I also overheard you yesterday on the phone."

"Overheard what?" she demanded. She thought hard. What all had she said out loud?

"Something about someone was not dying, that the doctors were wrong," Luke told her. Kate closed her eyes and tried to breathe. So he had heard. Shit.

"Right," she said, opening her eyes again. "Well, it's none of your business."

"You said that already, but Kate, sometimes talking about it helps."

"No."

Luke actually looked a little helpless for a moment, which took Kate off guard. She had yet to see this side of him. She'd only ever seen the hotheaded, annoying side of him.

"If you change your mind, you know where to find me," he said, moving to go out. Kate let him go. She didn't want him to know anything about her. After all, he wouldn't tell her anything about him.

...

"You are not going looking like that," Luke said, staring at her an hour later. The two of them were getting ready to go out for this race, Henry already having left to get a head start, and Kate had put on her "girly" clothes. What more did she need to do?

"What's wrong with it?" Kate asked, looking down at herself.

"For starters, you look like a lawyer."

"I do not," she objected.

"You do too," Luke countered. "Secondly, you look way too uptight." He went over to her and grabbed her skirt.

"What are you doing?!" she yelped, grabbing at his hands.

"You wanna look like part of the crowd or not?" he asked. Kate felt very unnerved having his hands so close to her like that.

"Fine," she huffed. He rolled her skirt down at the waist to bring it up higher from her knees. She refrained from smacking his hands.

"Hey!" she cried. "That's too far."

"Actually, it's not far enough," Luke corrected her. He'd seen these girls before at races. There was not much left to the imagination.

"Oh, get out," she said, annoyed. "I think you're lying."

"Nope. Not lying. Google it," he ordered. He reached for her hair next and pulled it out of it's usual tight bun. She watched him as he fluffed it around her face. He was surprisingly gentle about it.

"Is that all?" she asked sarcastically. She didn't like her hair down. It felt strange and foreign.

"Almost," he answered. He grabbed her white, buttoned down shirt next and pulled it out from under the skirt and began to tie a knot in it just below her chest, exposing her flat stomach. She was frozen as he undid the first two buttons at the top. He examined her after, making her feel nervous suddenly.

"Like hell am I going out like this," Kate said, hugging herself. She wished she could just throw on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a leather jacket and be good like he was.

"Then stay here," Luke said, moving to grab his bag. Kate knew that was not going to happen.

"Am I allowed a coat?" she asked.

"What do you have?" he countered. She pulled out her jean jacket one that went down halfway to her hips.

"Is that doable?" she asked.

"Fine," he nodded. "Now come on."

They left together, heading for the first race of two that Mei's life depended on. Kate looked out at everyone watching them pull into place beside five other drivers. She couldn't see Henry anywhere, but she knew he was out there.

"You sure you want to stay in the car?" Luke asked her.

"I don't really want to be out there," she answered. "I might get mauled by some drunk guy looking like this. It's ridiculous."

"Have you looked at the other girls?" Luke asked. She had, and he had been right. They were dressed way more provocatively than she was. She did not want to admit he was right, though.

"I'm older than they are."

"Well, that's your opinion."

"Oh, thanks," she said sarcastically.

"Last chance to get out," he told her.

"I'm staying."

"You might regret that choice."

"Why, are you gonna kill us?"

"No, but you might get sick."

"I thought you were a good driver?" she asked.

"I am," Luke nodded. He watched as the girl in front got ready to drop the flag. He revved. Kate felt a little ill suddenly, and she thought that maybe Luke was right after all. She shouldn't be in the car. It was too late now.

When the flag dropped, Luke shot forward.

...

Mei and Beth found themselves upon a small town, and Mei felt cautious. Who was there? Would they help? She didn't know. Beth was exhausted, and Mei could tell she was getting dehydrated. Their water had run out hours ago. It was also getting dusk out. They walked carefully around some of the buildings. Mei was trying to keep her footing since she was surviving on minimal food and water. She felt light headed and disoriented. Beth was the same, she could tell. Mei took in the sight of a man with a younger man standing next to him. The older man was watching her, and something about him unnerved her. She urged Beth to move forward faster. They saw some men standing together a little ways ahead, and Mei grew even more afraid. They looked like cartel.

"Wait," Mei said, stopping Beth, but it was too late. They had been spotted.

"There they are!" one shouted. The others followed after them towards Mei and Beth, who turned to run. Beth screamed. Mei held onto her hand and yanked her as fast as she could. She blindly led them to somewhere she thought would be safe, but she was wrong. They were cornered at a dead end, and Mei knew it was over.

"I'm sorry, Beth," she said. "I'm so sorry." She held onto the young girl as the girl cried, and Mei wanted to cry too. They had been so close. The cartel closed in, leering at them. Suddenly, shots were fired. Beth screamed again and squeezed her eyes shut. Mei, having seen people shot a lot in her lifetime, watched the cartel members drop dead one by one. She looked to see the older man from before with his partner behind him, guns raised. He had one hand held up, fingers splayed to show he wasn't going to shoot them.

"You all right?" the man asked. Mei nodded.

"Thank you," she said.

"You don't look like you're from here," he went on.

"I'm not. She isn't either."

"You wouldn't happen to be a product of Raul, would you?" the man asked. Mei was surprised. How did he know?

"We are."

"I wanna kill that bastard," the younger man growled. The other man stepped closer, his hand outstretched now.

"You're safe with us," he promised them. "We have the same enemy."

Mei hesitated briefly, but then she reached to shake his hand.

"Okay."

"What's your name?"

"Mei. This is Beth."

"Nice to meet you both," the man nodded. "I'm Alejandro."

...

Kate learned very quickly that Luke was an aggressive driver. When he yanked the wheel and turned the corner, she slammed into the window hard.

"Ah!" she yelped. "What are you doing?!"

"It's called winning," Luke answered. When he pulled into oncoming traffic, Kate shouted in alarm.

"Are you nuts?!"

_Are you a crazy, man?! _

Luke smiled at the memory of Mei freaking out at him 11 years ago for this exact same thing.

"Do you want to win this or not?" he asked.

"Yes, but I want to be alive to tell the tale after!" she shouted back as he dodged cars. Luke had to win this. Then he had to win the next one. After that, he was closer to finding Mei. If she was moved by cars to Mexico, he would find out. He would find her.

"We need to get noticed," he told her as she clung to the handle over the door.

"So endangering our lives gets us noticed," she said back.

"You're damn right," Luke nodded. He squealed over a curb and back into the right lane.

"I'm gonna be sick," Kate moaned.

"You didn't have to come with me," he pointed out.

Kate didn't respond. She kept her mouth shut to avoid vomiting. They flew past traffic and dodged lights. Kate in good conscience couldn't do it. She couldn't endanger others on the road. Luke put all his focus on his surroundings. Contrary to what Kate might be thinking, he wasn't trying to hurt anyone. She kept swearing and yelping beside him, grabbing at the dashboard with her hands.

"Stop," he said, reaching over to grip her leg tightly to get her attention.

"Eyes on the road!" she shrieked when he looked at her.

"I can't concentrate with you over there freaking out. You're distracting me."

"I'm sorry. We've almost hit like twenty some odd things since starting this race," Kate said angrily.

"Almost. Almost hit things. We will eventually hit something, however, unless you keep quiet," Luke ordered.

Kate wanted to hit him. He was such an ass sometimes. Just when she thought she could tolerate him, this happened.

"Fine," she said. "Let my last words, possibly forever, be this: I hate you."

"And here I thought you felt nothing towards me," he commented. Kate held her tongue. He was trying to piss her off now, she knew it. She refused to play. She caught his smirk, though. She held on and said nothing as they raced on.

"Almost there," he said as they rounded the last corner. He could see his opponent in his rearview mirror.

"You're cutting it close," Kate noted, breaking her silence upon seeing the finish line ahead. Luke knew it, so that was why he reached for the NOS trigger.

"Wait, what is that?" Kate asked right as he pressed it. She shrieked as they lurched forward and went even faster.

"I'm going to kill you!" she screamed as everything became a blur. She didn't even know how he could see where he was going. Luke was laughing now, enjoying the speed. He was also enjoying freaking her out a bit. She really needed to loosen up. He sailed across the line in first place, and he skidded to a stop. Kate jolted back into her seat when he stopped, and she looked at him.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"You're crazy."

"I've heard that before."

The crowd was around their car now. Luke tilted his head towards the window.

"Time to get an invite," he said, getting out. Kate got out as well, and she felt a little sick. The people were whooping and shouting, clapping Luke on the back. Then she saw a man approach Luke, and her hairs stood on end. Something about him screamed he was one of Raul's men. They spoke briefly before the man shook Luke's hand and handed him a phone. She refrained from cheering, but she caught Luke's eyes, and he bowed his head slightly. They got past the first race. They were one more step closer to Mei. Then, Luke's face grew dark as he spotted someone in the crowd. It was the driver who placed second. They were getting a phone too, and Luke felt his blood boil.

"Luke?" Kate asked as he surged through the crowd towards the man. "Luke!" She struggled to catch up with him. Luke waited until Raul's man was not watching them anymore, and he grabbed the man he'd spotted by the throat and pushed him backwards until they hit a wall. The crowd had their backs to them, so no one was watching, except for Kate.

"Luke!" she yelled again over the noise.

"You little shit," Luke said, squeezing the man's throat tightly and making him gasp.

"Garbage man?" the man asked, frightened.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Luke snarled. "I warned you. I warned you that the next time we met, all bets were off."

"Luke, stop it," Kate said, approaching and trying to remove his grip from the man's throat. "You could be seen."

"I don't care," Luke snapped.

"I do! This is our only shot at finding out where Mei is. Don't blow it over whatever this is," Kate said angrily. Luke was glaring at the man in front of him, who was cowering.

"You know I was just doing what I was told, right?" the man asked. "I had to."

"Luke," Kate said again strongly.

"Stay out of this," Luke growled at her. He couldn't believe who he was looking at. Vassily Docheski, the young man from the Russian mafia who had killed his wife, Annie. What was he doing there?!

"Where is Mei?" Luke demanded, shaking Vassily. Kate frowned, looking at both of them. This man knew where Mei was? She didn't understand.

"Who is Mei?" Vassily asked, his voice shaking.

"The young girl your father terrorized," Luke answered.

"You'll have to be more specif-IC!" Vassily finished in a yelp as Luke shoved him into the wall upon hearing him dismiss Mei as one of many that Emile Docheski threatened and terrorized.

"The young Chinese girl who could memorize anything you put in front of her," Luke hissed.

"Oh. Oh! Her. No, no. I haven't seen her since then. I swear!"

"Then why are you here?" Luke demanded. He kept his grip tight on Vassily's collar.

"My...my sister is missing. Kidnapped. We tracked her here," Vassily answered. His eyes darted around nervously. "Please, I don't want to draw attention to myself."

Luke didn't want to believe him, but he did. He released Vassily, who did his best to recover and look as though he hadn't just been half strangled. Kate stared at both of them.

"I don't understand what is happening here," she said.

"I've got my eye on you," Luke said, pointing at Vassily. "Any funny business..."

"There won't be. I'm here on a personal matter. I don't care about you or anything you're into," Vassily told him. Luke gave him one last stare before turning to leave. Kate hustled after him.

"You wanna tell me what that was all about?" she asked when they got back into their car. Luke caught Vassily's gaze one last time, and the man genuinely looked terrified of him. He should be since Luke had banged him up pretty good before stuffing him in the trunk of his own car for hours and taking out half an army of the Triad in one night. He knew what Luke was capable of.

"It's nothing," Luke dismissed.

"I would hardly call that nothing. Obviously that guy knew Mei from before."

"Yup."

"How?"

"He's Russian mafia."

Kate's head clicked as she put it all together. Luke had told her the story of how he'd met Mei. She remembered now.

"What's he doing here?" she asked, feeling anxious. Was this whole thing to do with him and not Raul or Henessy at all?

"He's claiming his sister has been kidnapped. He's trying to be one of Raul's drivers."

"That's a very odd coincidence."

"It is, but I think it's genuine."

"How so?"

"He'd never intentionally run into me again, not after what I did to him," Luke said, putting the car into gear and driving away. He didn't offer anything else, and as much as Kate wanted to know, she made the decision not to press him about it. He seemed to be in a negative head space, and she didn't feel like getting yelled at. She'd ask another time.

* * *

**Thoughts? I really do like getting feedback!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Anna, I am so glad you did leave a review because honestly, it made my week just as much as this story made yours! I'm so happy when readers enjoy my work. I hope you enjoy this chapter too.**

**Sonya82, glad to hear from you! **

**Nicki! Glad to see you back! I hope I do Alejandro justice. Thanks for reviewing!**

* * *

_I am the ghost that hides in the night._

"Here," Alejandro said, handing Mei and Beth water. Mei sipped at hers while Beth chugged hers.

"Easy," Mei said to Beth. "Go slow."

"What happens to us now?" Beth asked, wiping her chin clear of the excess water she'd spilled. They were in the SUV with Alejandro and Miguel, who had introduced himself afterwards. Mei had a feeling that Alejandro was very much like Luke, an assassin of some kind. He had that vibe to him.

"We'll get you across the border and back home," Alejandro said.

"And how will you do that? We don't have any documentation on us," Mei advised.

"That's where Miguel comes in," Alejandro said, looking at his protégé.

"I used to help get people across the border illegally," Miguel explained, seeing Mei's confusion.

"But...aren't the cartel involved in that?" she asked.

"I know a way around them," he shrugged.

"Their presence will be larger now that we are missing," Mei insisted. "They'll be looking for us."

Alejandro and Miguel looked at each other.

"You could call Graver," Miguel suggested.

"No," Alejandro shook his head. "We haven't talked in years." He knew Matt Graver would have been relieved that the cartel had supposedly killed him instead of forcing Matt to do it upon boss's orders. Matt didn't know that Alejandro was even alive. He wanted to keep it that way. He liked being a ghost.

"I want to help," Mei said. "I'm FBI. Raul needs to be arrested, and I want to help do that."

FBI. Alejandro gave a small start but recovered quickly. He thought of another tough female FBI agent he had come across eight years ago, the one whose life he had threatened to get Matt's papers signed. He still felt bad about that.

"I'm not in the arresting business," Alejandro explained.

"You're a sicario," Mei noted. He met her eyes in the rearview mirror. There was a determination in them.

"That's right," he nodded.

"Maybe I don't care," Mei went on. After all, Luke had been a sicario. She hadn't minded him taking down the Russians back in the day. They pulled up to a small, abandoned looking shack where Alejandro parked. He looked back at Mei, and he could tell she had previous experience with a situation similar to this one.

"I want to go home," Beth said in a small voice.

"We go inside, we get you some food and rest, and then we make a plan," Alejandro said. Miguel got out and opened Beth's door, helping her out. Mei was still in the car, looking at Alejandro.

"You promise to help me?" she asked.

"I promise," he answered. After all, Raul was his target.

...

Kate was on edge, waiting for that phone to ring. Luke seemed undisturbed about it. Henry was piecing together profiles after taking pictures and gathering intel from other drivers and the crowd about Raul and his Big Race. He was also asking for the names of Raul's previous drivers. He did it in a non obvious way of course. Nothing like asking too many questions that brought unwanted attention to yourself.

"You're gonna burn a hole in the floor if you don't stop that," Luke said after watching her pace for a while.

"At least I'm doing something," she snapped.

"The building manager won't appreciate it," Luke commented.

"Why is nothing happening?" she demanded, ignoring him.

"It's been 12 hours. I wouldn't start sweating yet," he replied. She had a sarcastic comeback for him, but her phone ringing prevented her from firing it at him. She tensed inside, seeing that it was her father. Without saying a word, she went outside to answer it.

"Kate?" his voice said. "You there?"

"Hi, Dad."

"Where are you?"

"I'm still in L.A., Dad. I'm working, remember?"

"Honey, Treena is getting worse."

"I can't leave in the middle of this, Dad. I told you."

"She wants you..."

"Just tell her to hang on," Kate ordered. "Tell her to hang on."

"She has been for days now."

"Just another few days. I'll be there in a few days," Kate assured him. "Please...just, tell her to hang on."

She heard him sigh loudly.

"She can't promise that, Kate. None of us can."

"She is the toughest person I know. She'll do it," Kate promised.

"Hurry."

"I am," Kate said. They hung up, and she stared at her phone. Her last selfie with Treena before the cancer diagnosis was her screen saver, and she looked at her sister's smiling face.

"Just hang on," she whispered.

"Kate?" Luke called, making her turn to see him.

"Yea?"

"We're going tonight."

She nodded, and he went back inside. She hugged herself tightly. Once they found Mei, she'd go see Treena. Denial or not, Kate knew she had to face the truth sooner than later.

...

"Raul has another shipment scheduled for two days from now," Alejandro was saying. Mei was looking at his intel and marveling at how organized he was. Beth was sleeping while Miguel kept a lookout.

"So he needs drivers," Mei said, getting it.

"Yes."

"He has them killed after," Mei told him. "We saw."

"Well, he needs new drivers," Alejandro went on.

"And what do we do?"

"What if we hitch a ride back in one of his cars?" Miguel asked. "Track him in L.A., and kill him."

"How do we do that without getting found out?" Mei asked. He thought carefully for a moment.

"Perhaps that is the wrong approach," he said, agreeing.

"What is the right approach?"

"You're better to trap than to chase," Alejandro said.

"Yes," Mei replied. "He wants me back.

"I tell him that I have you, and he is to come in person to pay my fee and collect you," Alejandro nodded.

"He comes to us instead of us tracking him," Mei said. "I like it."

Alejandro nodded, tapping his pen on the paper in front of him.

"And Beth?" Mei asked.

"Miguel can look after her until we're finished. Then we take Raul's tunnels and get you back into the States."

Mei wanted to call Luke or Kate to tell them she was okay, but she decided to wait until after they got Raul. She knew Luke, and she knew he'd be on the first plane down here to bring her back home regardless of what she had planned. No, she was going to finish this, and she had to finish it without him.

"I'll make the call to Raul," Alejandro said, getting up. Their plan would be put into motion. Mei couldn't wait.

...

Luke was alone this time in the car as he got ready to race. Kate had declined riding with him this time. Luke knew she hadn't handled the last race very well despite her best efforts to show him she was fine after. He knew she had thrown up once the crowd had cleared and she had been able to sneak off to do so. She was with Henry in the crowd somewhere. Raul's men hooked a GPS into his car, and the route was downloading. He just had to be one of three to cross the line, they'd said. There were six other racers. That was a 50/50 chance. He gripped the wheel tightly. There was no room for error. He had to find Mei sooner than later. He was torturing himself thinking of what was happening to her, and he couldn't stand it. He looked over to see Vassily in the car next to him and looking just as determined. Luke wondered why Vassily's sister would be targeted. He decided he didn't really care. So long as Vassily stayed away from him, they'd be fine. When the flag dropped, all of his focus went into driving. He barely heard the instructions given to him by the GPS. He easily got into second place, but he wanted first. He wasn't sure what it was to prove other than that he could. His heart jolted whenever he almost hit something or someone. He never wanted anyone to get hurt. He kept getting flashes of Mei as he drove. Mei when she was 12. Mei at 16 and learning to drive. Mei graduating high school early. Mei getting into the FBI. He blinked them away. Now wasn't the time to get sentimental. He had to focus in order to win this and get her back. Luke was convinced that he would get her back. He'd do a much better screening process of her boyfriends from then on. He was neck in neck with Vassily as they headed down the final stretch. He flicked open his NOS trigger and hovered over it, waiting. If he did it too soon, he was out of luck. When Vassily's car lurched ahead, that was when he hit it. The world was a blur around him, but he could see the finish line clearly. The nose of his car just inched past the other as they both crossed. Luke then slammed on the brakes to stop, spinning his car around in a 180. He released the breath he had been holding, trying to calm his shaking hands.

"Luke?"

He turned to see Kate standing by his window looking at him. He got out of the car then.

"You okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine," he answered. She raised a brow at him, and he tucked his hands under his arms to hide the shaking. He looked over to see Vassily looking at him, but there was what looked to be respect in the man's eyes. He was still going to be a driver. He just didn't get first place. It wasn't long before Luke was approached. An average sized man with two taller bodyguards beside him stopped in front of him. Luke realized this was probably Raul.

"Your skills are phenomenal," Raul said. "I'm sure we'll be getting good results with you on our team."

"So I'm in?" Luke asked.

"You are," Raul grinned. He looked at Kate then and back to Luke. "Why don't you two come along tonight and celebrate?"

"All right," Luke agreed. It wouldn't be wise to turn down an invite from their target. He'd know something was up.

"The address of the club will go to the phone," Raul said, turning to leave. Luke didn't really like having a cell phone, but he kept this one on him.

"We're in," Kate said, almost awestruck.

"Did you ever doubt me?" Luke asked.

"A little," she answered.

"Oh, thanks."

"Come on. I need something to wear," Kate said, tugging on his sleeve. She assumed jeans were too casual anyway. They got into his car and left.

...

Mei was unable to sleep, so she went and sat outside, watching the stars. She wondered where Luke was and what he was doing. She heard a noise after a moment, and she turned to see Alejandro come out to join her.

"Can't sleep either?" she asked him.

"It comes and goes," he answered, sitting beside her. They were quiet for a moment, looking at the stars together.

"So what made you become a sicario?" she asked. He shifted beside her, and for a minute, Mei thought he wasn't going to answer her.

"My family was killed," he replied. It was all he said, but Mei understood immediately. She knew what that rage felt like when you lost someone you loved. She still missed her mother to this day.

"I'm sorry."

"Me too."

Mei thought about her life and how she got there. If Han hadn't kidnapped her 11 years ago, would she still be in China?

"So how did you end up here?" Alejandro asked her. She laughed softly.

"I dated the wrong kind of guy," she answered. "But I think it's more than that. I just haven't figured it out yet."

"You will," Alejandro assured her. Mei was surprised to feel safe with this man. Normally Luke was the only person who could make her feel entirely safe, but there was something about Alejandro that echoed Luke. Right now, she was just fine with that.

...

Kate looked at the black dress she had gotten and wondered what she was doing. She did not wear stuff like that. It was strapless for starters, which she could never keep up properly, being small in that department and all. It also barely went to her knees. She must be insane.

"I'm working on finding the other drivers Raul used before," Henry was saying in the other room while she stared at herself in the mirror in the bathroom. "I'll let you know what I find out."

"Okay," she said back. She sighed. It was time to try to squeeze into this ridiculous dress. She was halfway through it when her phone buzzed as a text came through.

**I can get you into Raul's circles to see if you can win his race,** Carter wrote. **I got clearance from my boss. We have to act fast, though, since he needs drivers very soon.**

**We're already in. We are attending his club tonight,** Kate replied. His response was fast.

**That's awesome! I won't tell my boss you went rogue on me ;) Keep me posted. Be careful around Raul. He's good at picking out law enforcement. Don't act too smart and be girly. Tell macho man to not bring any guns to his club. He will check. Good luck!**

**Will do. Thanks.**

_Ha,_ Kate thought. _I am one step ahead of you. _Well, it was thanks to Luke really. He had taken the initiative to just plow ahead. His stubbornness worked it seemed, and it was even better now that it was on her side and not used against her.

...

Kate felt constricted as she walked with Luke towards Raul's building. Luke himself just had black dress pants and a white, buttoned up long sleeve shirt on. She felt a bit on display, but she played the part of his "girly" girlfriend like Carter suggested and held onto Luke's arm as they walked in. The music was loud, and she did her best to not appear affected by it, like she did this all the time. Luke didn't even flinch. She scanned the area, looking for Mei. Was she there? Was she working? Was she still even in L.A.?

"My man," Raul said, approaching them and shaking Luke's hand. "You made it."

"Yup," Luke nodded. Raul's men searched him, just as Carter had predicted. They didn't touch Kate. She was glad she wore something that pretty much stated she couldn't hide anything on her. They still should have checked her, though.

"As I've explained to the other drivers, you will be given a new GPS. When it goes off, you come. It will be real soon," Raul advised.

"Got it."

"Enjoy yourselves," Raul said to them. Kate hated his stupid grin. He was creepy.

"All right, now what?" Luke asked in her ear once they were alone.

"We see if Mei is here," she answered. It seemed like the kind of place victims like Mei would be put to work if she hadn't been sent across the border yet.

She walked ahead of him, and he pushed through the crowd to keep up with her. If Mei was here, he could only imagine what they had her doing. After scanning the main areas, Kate decided to get bold and go searching in the out of bounds places. They entered a quiet hallway and walked down it. Kate's heels were the only thing making noise.

"I hate these damn shoes," she complained.

"Well, combat boots don't go with a dress," Luke commented. She threw him a look as he chuckled.

"Maybe I'll start a new trend," she retorted. They found a room that was marked "employees only," and Kate opened the door. They found a stairwell.

"Shall we?" she asked.

"After you," he gestured. He looked behind them to make sure they weren't being followed before closing the door behind them. They went down the stairs and found another door. Kate looked through the window.

"Cars," she said. Luke went to the next door and looked.

"Kate," he said. She went over to join him, giving a small gasp. There were a few mattresses on the floor, proving that multiple people were being kept in there. The room, however, was empty.

"They're probably upstairs working," Luke said, echoing Kate's thoughts.

"Do you think Mei is being kept here?" Kate asked.

"I don't know." The rage in Luke was burning hot now.

They heard the door open above, and they looked at each other.

"What do we do?" she asked in a whisper.

"Come on," he urged, pulling her by the hand to the first landing of the stairs. He really hoped this would work.

"What are you...?" she asked before he cut her off by kissing her and pressing her against the wall. Kate was taken aback, but she could see what he was doing. It was one of the oldest tricks in the book. She gripped his face in return, and he slid a hand up her leg. Kate almost laughed as his fingers touched the small dagger she had strapped to her upper thigh. She could tell he was surprised.

"You finally moved on, huh?" a voice asked. Luke pulled back to see Vassily standing there looking at them, a small smirk on his face.

"What are you doing down here?" he asked roughly.

"Doing the same thing you are, looking for clues," Vassily shrugged. He walked past the two of them without giving Kate so much as a glance. Luke released her, and she automatically went to pull down her dress, which had slid up a little during their stunt.

"There's no one down here," Luke told Vassily.

Vassily ignored him and went into the room with all the cars. Luke and Kate followed him and watched as he scanned them all carefully.

"What are you looking for?" Kate asked him.

"The witness who saw my sister get kidnapped," Vassily began as he walked past the cars slowly. "They saw the car she was put into." He paused next to a lime green suped up Subaru and put his finger on it.

"This one," he said.

"She'll be long gone," Kate reasoned.

"Maybe so, but at least I know I'm close," Vassily said. They all heard footsteps stomping on the stairs outside the door, and Vassily ducked into a hiding spot. Luke realized he was going to have to repeat their earlier move, but he was worried it wouldn't be bought so easily since they were in the room next to the one where the girls were being kept. Kate shared his worry, but she decided to do her best to make it realistic. Be girly, Carter had said. Well, this was gonna be pretty girly. She grabbed his hands and pulled him towards her as she hopped up onto one of the cars' hoods.

"Don't scratch it," Luke said instinctively.

"Are you kidding me right now?" Kate asked, incredulous.

"It's a nice car..."

"There is nothing on my dress to scratch it."

"You'd be surprised," he argued.

"Shut up and come here," she ordered just as the door opened.

Raul's guard opened the door and instantly saw a woman lying on the hood of one of the cars with a man pressing down on her kissing her, her arms held up over her head by him. He stopped, staring at the spectacle. It was entertaining to watch, but then he remembered this area was off limits.

"Hey!" he called.

Kate gasped and pushed Luke off of her. She slid off the car and looked at the guard.

"I'm so sorry," she gushed. "I just get so turned on by these cars! It's my fault." She bit her lip and did her best to appear hot and bothered. Luke bit down his laugh. Her acting was very impressive.

"This area is off limits," the guard said.

"Again, so sorry," Kate told him, taking Luke's hand and moving them around the guard. "I mean, come on. You've never wanted to? The feel of all that power under you..."

"Well," the guard said, chuckling. Kate beamed at him.

"It won't happen again," she promised.

"Get out of here," the guard ordered, growing serious again. They walked past him and back up the stairs. When they were back in the hallway with the door closed, she released her breath.

"That was close," she commented. She noticed Luke still held her hand as they walked. For some reason, it felt nice.

"You were very convincing," Luke commented.

"I did drama in high school," Kate responded.

"Well, you have a fall back career then, if this one tanks."

"My career won't tank. Are you saying I'm a bad FBI agent?!"

"Let's not," Luke cut her off. She bit her tongue. He had a point. Them bickering wouldn't be good. Not here.

"Right. I'm your sexy girlfriend who wants to jump you on a fancy car. Got it," she said. He couldn't help but snort a little before they re-entered the main room where the music roared again. She winced. Her ears were super sensitive.

"We better hang out for a bit before we leave," Luke advised. "We might be watched now after that."

"Okay," she agreed. They went to the bar and sat. Kate tugged at her dress. The damn thing was annoying the hell out of her. Luke sat close to her and scanned the room. She stared at him when he started running his fingers up and down her arm that was resting on the bar top.

"What the hell are you doing?" she asked. It was taking her off guard completely.

"We were just seen making out downstairs. If you act all cold to me now, they're gonna know it was fake," Luke answered, not looking at her.

"You make it a common practice to stroke your girlfriends like they've been a good pet then?" she asked.

"I've heard it's sensual."

"It's not." It was. How was that possible? What was happening here?

He did not stop, which to Kate meant he knew it was bothering her, and anything that bothered her, he liked to do. Truthfully, though, Kate was not completely in hate with it. She just didn't want him to know that. They saw Vassily reappear then, but he didn't stay long. Kate watched the people dancing and felt nauseous. There was so much groping and rubbing.

"Ugh, I hate dancing," she said. When Luke finally looked at her, she knew she had made a big mistake.

"Really?" he asked, but his tone was one of intrigue and mischief.

"No," she said when he stood up and pulled on her hand. "Luke, no!"

He was stronger, though, and she hobbled on her heels after him as they walked towards the dance floor. She yelped when he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into him.

"I hate you," she said. "I really do."

"You hate it because you don't know how to do it," he said.

"No, no, I said I hate _you_," she said louder. He just smirked and started dancing with her. Kate was surprised at how good he was, but this also seemed to annoy her.

"You really need to loosen up a little," he said into her ear.

_Loosen up, Kate. God!_

Treena's voice hit her hard, catching her off guard. The last time her sister had taken her out, Kate had balked and made a fuss. She regretted it now. It was the last time they'd gone out before Treena was diagnosed.

"There he is," Luke said into her ear as he spun them around slowly, bringing her back to the present moment. "The guy from downstairs." She caught sight of him too, and he was watching them carefully. Raul was standing beside him too.

Kate panicked a little, worrying their cover was blown. She decided to help with the situation and kissed Luke again. If they kept up the hot lovers act, maybe it would be bought. It also helped that Luke was one hell of a good kisser (she had not failed to notice this). It was definitely believable.

"Easy, don't overdo it," Luke said after a moment, touching her face like a boyfriend would. "It'll look obvious."

"Sorry. I'm not good at this undercover stuff," Kate replied, embarrassed. She hoped he couldn't see her flushed cheeks.

"You're doing just fine," he assured her, putting his arm back around her. He casually did another scan, and both Raul and the other guy were gone.

"Well?" she asked when he brought his gaze back to her.

"They're gone."

"What now?"

Luke wasn't exactly sure, but he didn't think they should hang around any longer. Something felt off.

"Let's go," he said. They made their way to the door. Kate's heart jumped when Raul appeared from nowhere.

"Leaving so soon?" he asked, tilting his head at them.

"Getting pretty hot in here," Luke answered, giving Raul a meaningful look before looking at Kate. Raul smiled widely in understanding.

"I heard you were admiring my cars," he said to Kate. Her skin prickled. Did he know they saw the other room?

"I'm just that kind of girl," Kate replied, doing her best to look sultry. Luke was impressed that she was pulling it off.

"Well, don't let me keep you. See you soon," Raul said, giving a small bow. Luke and Kate left, and when they reached their car, Luke held open the passenger door for her to get in.

"Do you think he is on to us?" Kate asked when they started driving.

"I don't know," Luke admitted. He was usually good at reading people, but Raul was a hard one to read.

"Let's hope that GPS goes off soon," Kate sighed. Her nerves were frayed. She hoped they weren't found out. She hoped they would find Mei. She looked at Luke driving, and she wondered what he thought about what had happened in that club. It was done to keep cover, of course, but Kate couldn't help but feel a little bit of something about it. It had been a long time since she'd kissed anybody or been so close to somebody. She checked her phone.

**How did it go?** Carter had asked. She typed back.

**I don't feel good about it.**

**Why not?**

**I think we were made.**

**Shit, I hope not. We need this win, Kate! We've never gotten this far before.**

**I know. I guess we just wait and see.**

**If you've been made, expect a night visit to your motel room. He'll find you through his GPS.**

**Night visit?** Kate asked, feeling a bit nervous.

**That's how he deals with law enforcement. I almost lost a man that way. We were lucky.**

**Great.**

**Want some back up?**

Kate hesitated, but she decided against it.

**We'll be fine.**

**All right. Don't say I didn't warn you.**

As he drove, Luke thought about kissing Kate. He felt bad because the last person he'd kissed was Annie, and that had been 11 years ago. He'd never thought he'd do that sort of thing ever again. He counted it as part of his penance for everything he'd done. What happened between him and Kate had to be done, though, in order to avoid detection. That was all it meant. As he drove, though, he couldn't help but notice a small feeling inside of him that wanted to do it again. He noticed Kate then.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Carter told me that if we were made, Raul will come visit us tonight and off us all."

"He can try."

Kate didn't respond. They got back to their motel, and she immediately noticed the sedan parked at the curb. She could tell they were agents, so Carter had sent back up anyway. They waved at her when they saw her.

**Thanks,** she wrote him.

**You're welcome :) **

...

Alejandro was the only one awake now, and he sat with the wind ruffling his hair slightly. Miguel was taking a nap until it was his shift. He thought about Mei and Beth, who were inside sleeping, and wondered if they were going to be able to pull this off with Raul without too many issues. Then he got thinking about Kate Macer. For some reason, Mei reminded him of her. Maybe it was her determination and fierceness. He was also reminded of his own daughter, and he bowed his head. Thinking of his lost family always cut him like a knife. He rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the burn in his eyes recede slowly as he brought his focus back to the present. It was important that he stay in the present, and he would. He would make sure that Mei and Beth got home. He would make sure that Raul would never hurt another woman or girl ever again. After all, he was technically a ghost.

...

Henry was asleep and snoring when they got back to their motel room. It was quite late after all. He had a cot crammed against the wall at the far side of the room. Luke had the couch. Kate felt bad having the bed, but neither of them would let her take anything else.

"I don't know if I can even get out of this dress," Kate complained to Luke.

"Why not?"

"It's so friggin tight," she said, pulling at it. She practically had to use butter to get herself into it to start with. Luke was undoing his shirt while she was in the bathroom trying to figure out what was best to do, pull it over her head or down over her hips. Neither seemed like it would work.

"You need help?" Luke asked. He came in and picked up his t-shirt he'd left on the counter and shrugged it on. Kate noticed the scars on his body before they were covered, though. She cringed inside at how bad some of them looked.

"I don't know," she sighed, resting her hands on the sink and looking at herself in the mirror. "I got it on. I should be able to get it off."

"Want me to cut it off?" he asked, joking.

"You might have to," she said seriously.

"Over or under?" he asked, going to stand behind her.

"What are you doing?"

"I won't look. I can pull it up or down. Your call."

Kate felt slightly embarrassed, but she did need the help.

"Up I guess."

"Brace yourself," he said. Kate grabbed the counter when he took hold of the bottom of her dress. He started from the bottom, tugging it up over her hips. He smiled to himself when he saw the knife in the holster strapped to her upper leg that he had felt earlier. If things were different, he'd say she was his kind of woman. Kate closed her eyes at the feel of his fingers on her skin. She hadn't been touched in so long before tonight. She remembered how his hand felt on her leg earlier, how she had felt a little bit of something when he'd held her hands over her head while kissing on the car and when he was touching her arm at the bar. She hated to admit it, but she was enjoying the warmth of him standing so close behind her.

"Okay," he said when it was around her chest. "Still not looking. Arms up."

She obeyed, and he wrestled it up and off her, sliding it off her arms easily now. Kate was relieved she had decided to wear the strapless bra after all. That would have been awkward. He was still standing behind her, and for some reason he was paused, unsure of what to do next. A part of him was tempted to touch her, but he refrained. She cleared her throat after a moment.

"Thanks," she said.

"You're welcome," he nodded. Their eyes met briefly in the mirror, and Kate knew how easy it would be to just turn around and start something that she was surprised to find she even wanted or would even consider. Normally her feelings towards him were negative. Again, what was happening?!

Luke took her all in, and it was like he was seeing her for the first time as someone else and not the annoying, aggravating woman he'd met a few days ago. He was seeing her as the woman he'd first seen at his bar who he had wanted to get to know. He wondered how her skin would feel on his. In the end, he knew it wasn't something they should be doing.

"Good night," he said, making the decision for her. He went to stand guard since there was the possibility of Raul coming after them.

"Good night," she echoed as he walked away. When he was gone, she felt really cold.

* * *

**I should say that I have written two other crossovers for Sicario (one is still in progress) if anyone is interested. Saving Each Other is one (Homefront & Sicario), and Expendable Hearts is the other (Expendables & Sicario). Just thought I'd let you all know :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you, Anna, for your review!**

**So, I didn't realize how long this chapter was until just now, but I didn't want to split it into two chapters. Let's just say it's making up for my month's absence. I apologize for not updating sooner. Life has been hard lately. Anyway, I won't bore you with details unrelated to this story.**

**Warning: This chapter is triggering. It has what I would say "scary moments" and intense scenes, but maybe it's not as scary as some would think. I'm just being cautious.  
**

* * *

_I'm the wolf that's yet to howl...  
_

"So, did you guys do it?" Henry asked Luke and Kate the next morning. For some reason, Kate choked on her coffee. Luke gave her a puzzled look before answering Henry.

"Do what?" Luke asked.

"Find any clues," Henry answered logically. He gave Kate a look with a raised brow. She avoided his gaze.

"Just more cars and what looked like a room that housed a bunch of people. We didn't see Mei there, though."

"I was really hoping you'd find her," Henry lamented.

"Me too."

Kate had regained her composure by this point, and Luke found himself a bit curious about her behavior.

"I guess you'll have to wait for the call," Henry said, gesturing to the GPS on the table.

"Yea," Luke nodded. Henry got up and excused himself. Luke looked at Kate, who was intentionally not looking at him.

"What's with you?" he asked.

"Nothing," she answered quickly. She kept from blushing. Henry's question had caught her completely off guard because she had been trying to discern whether or not the dream she had that night about Luke had been indeed just a dream or if it had really happened. Instead of Luke saying goodnight and leaving, he had done stuff to her that had felt very real, which made Kate shift uncomfortably just thinking about it again. It had obviously been a dream, of course. What was bothering Kate was why she would even dream that it happened. She was not into Luke, was she?

"Earth to Kate," Luke said, waving his hand in front of her face.

"Huh?"

"Are you okay?" he asked, laughing a little.

"I'm fine," she answered a little defensively. Had he figured out what she was thinking? Had he thought about it at all? She wanted to smack herself for being so ridiculous. They were working together. They were trying to find Mei, who was missing for God's sake. She needed to have cold water thrown on her to cool down. She needed to remember that Luke drove her crazy and got on her nerves.

Luke had a weird feeling that Kate was thinking about last night just like he was. He had a bit of regret at not just taking her into his arms and making them both forget for a moment about the hell they were trapped in right now. Then again, she might not have wanted that at all. He couldn't tell for sure.

"Is that thing going to go off?" she asked, gesturing to the GPS.

"It will."

"Not fast enough," she sighed.

"It will go off. Then we will find out where Raul sends his drivers, and we will be one step closer to finding out where the girls are sent once they get to Mexico. It will help us figure out where Mei is."

"I hope so," she murmured. If she didn't get Mei back, she'd never forgive herself. She had a feeling that Luke was thinking the exact same thing.

...

The next night, Mei and Alejandro were doing surveillance on Raul's Mexican home. He had arrived as planned the afternoon before, and they were watching him today to see what he was doing. He was supposed to meet Alejandro tomorrow to collect Mei, but they had a surprise for him. They were going to take him out here instead. It was an idea they came up with after arranging for Raul to find them since Alejandro knew where Raul's Mexican home was.

"Hang on," Mei said when Alejandro adjusted his sniper rifle. "Someone's coming."

They watched as three black SUVs drove into Raul's driveway, and Mei saw a man step out and head towards Raul, who was standing with his arms crossed. She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw the FBI vest on him.

"He's got a mole," Alejandro said, realizing. He looked over at Mei. "You recognize him?"

"No," she shook her head. "He's not from Seattle."

"It would make sense how Raul heard about you, though. You work for the FBI, and so does this guy."

Mei didn't say anything as she did her best to see his name tag on his vest. It was hard to make out, but she was pretty sure she had it.

"C. Young," she said to Alejandro.

"This goes deeper then," he sighed, resting back from his rifle. "Raul has more to offer us."

"We can't kill Raul until we find out why he's in cahoots with the FBI," Mei agreed. "I'm sorry. I know you really wanted to shoot him tonight."

"It's okay. We'll interrogate him tomorrow. That can be just as fun," Alejandro advised. Mei knew she had to let Kate know that an FBI agent was working with Raul. This C. Young looked familiar to her, and she was trying to figure out why.

"I have to call Kate," she said. Alejandro froze.

"Kate?" he repeated.

"Yes. She's my mentor in Seattle. If she is looking for me and knows about Raul, and I have faith she does, then she needs to know about C. Young. Give me your phone."

He handed it to her, and she dialed.

"Kate? It's me," she started. Alejandro didn't hear the rest of it, his thoughts focused on the name Kate. What were the odds that Mei's mentor was the one and only Kate Macer?

...

"I've been summoned," Luke said, looking at his new GPS. Henry looked up from his computer.

"Tonight?" Kate asked.

"He said 'real soon.' This is real soon," Luke nodded. He grabbed his coat and keys. Kate stood up and looked at him. She had no idea why she was doing this or what she was even going to say. In the end, she said the cheesiest thing she could have said.

"Drive safe," she said. She cringed inside. Drive safe? Honestly.

"Are you actually worried about me?" he asked, surprised. This was new.

"Of course not," she shook her head, clearing her throat. "Just...just being decent is all."

"Of course," he nodded. "I'll see you soon."

"Good luck," Henry added.

Kate pressed her lips together as Luke gave her a small smile before disappearing out the door.

"I'm gonna go out for some food. You want in?" Henry asked after.

"No," she shook her head. "I'll stay here."

"Okay. My computer should be done with those reports real soon," Henry explained. "Just keep an eye on it. You'll know about the other drivers when it's done."

"Thanks."

Kate stood in the silence after Henry had left. She felt alone, and she didn't like it. She also didn't like the thoughts she kept having about Luke. After all, he was still the annoying person she had met not that long ago. She shook her head hard. It was time to stop that line of thinking. When she did, though, she started thinking about Treena, and that was worse. She banged the heel of her hand against her forehead to stop her thoughts altogether. Henry's laptop beeped then, indicating it was finished with it's job. Kate went around to look at it, and she froze.

"Oh my God," she said. She looked at it harder. Was it true? All the previous drivers Raul had were listed as missing. The hairs on her arm stood on end. Luke was in danger. Luke was driving into a death trap, and she had to warn him. She hurried out of the motel room, heading to the SUV. She went to call Henry. Luke needed to get pulled from this now.

She never made it to her SUV.

...

Luke had waited while his car was loaded. He'd been checked over, of course, to make sure he wasn't armed or bugged. Then he was told to sit and wait in the car. There was a bit of a delay, but they got moving not too long after. Now, Luke followed the leader of the pack through the tunnels. The guy in their comms kept yelling at them to go faster, that their window was growing shorter. The pressure was immense, but Luke was calm. Once he got to Mexico, he was going to start looking for Mei. After reaching their destination by the skin of their teeth, the leader parked and got out. Luke and everyone else followed suit. He looked over at Vassily, who stood with his arms crossed, waiting.

"Absolute shit!" the leader yelled. "You almost cost us everything!" This started shouts of outrage among the other drivers, but Luke stayed silent. He was observing. He noticed Vassily was quiet too. The cartel members unloaded the trunks, and he saw six girls get pulled out along with the cash. His blood boiled. When the leader came to open his trunk, he refrained from assaulting him, but only just. He noticed that two cartel were standing at the ready, and he wondered just who he had that required extra guards. Shouting came from inside, making it harder for him to just stand there.

"Drugs wore off. She's a fighter!" the leader shouted, opening the trunk only to get lashed out at by a pair of feet. The three of them hauled the girl out, and Luke clenched his fists. He couldn't blow his cover to save her. Not yet. Then he saw who it was, and at first he was in shock, but then his heart dropped.

"Luke!" she shrieked upon seeing him, struggling.

Before he could even move, he was grabbed from behind and kneed in the back. He fell to his knees, and an arm went around his throat. He tried to fight back, but was held down firmly by another man. He soon felt the butt of a gun against his temple.

"You feds are all the same," the leader said. "So cocky. You didn't think we'd figure it out?"

"Luke!" Kate screamed again before they gagged her.

"I'm not a fed," Luke said, channeling his rage. He was going to need it.

"It doesn't matter. Your road ends here," the leader said. "Hers ends very soon." He turned and gestured for the others to take Kate away.

"Finish him," the leader ordered. Luke managed to slide his hand into the back of his boot where his knife was hiding. They had missed it when they searched him. When the leader ordered everyone to stand in front of their cars, Luke knew it was for an execution. It was time to fight back. Luke whipped out his knife and stabbed the first man holding him right in the stomach. In seconds, Luke had him dead and his gun in his hand. He shot the second man, and then there were bullets flying everywhere. Four of the drivers were killed. The rest were huddled behind their cars. The girls were screaming. Luke took down the rest of the cartel easily enough. He saved the leader for last, who was trying to crawl away. Luke stood above him, pointing his gun at him.

"Where are they taking her?" he demanded.

"I will never tell you," the leader answered, panting. Luke stepped on the leg with the bullet hole in it, making him scream.

"I'm only going to ask one more time. Where are they taking her?"

"Screw you."

Luke shot his other leg then. The man shouted but still wouldn't tell him. Luke shot some other nonessential places next, but the man was giving him nothing.

"Finish it!" the man screamed. "Finish it!" Knowing he was going to get nothing from him, Luke obliged. He was enraged inside. He had to find Kate. He could only hope that Henry had a way of tracking her. He approached the girls, freeing them all.

"Thank you," the one sobbed.

"Get in the cars, and go home," he directed.

"We don't know where to go," she whispered. Luke gestured to Vassily, who came over to them. He looked terrified again after being reminded of just what Luke was capable of doing. Luke grabbed his coat angrily, making Vassily yelp.

"Did you rat us out?" Luke demanded. Vassily shook his head no vigorously.

"No. I swear."

"Why should I trust you?"

"You didn't tell them who I was...why would I tell them who you were? We're both looking for someone missing," Vassily argued. "I would not risk you giving me away by giving you up."

Luke knew he was wasting time. He had to find Kate.

"You remember the route back?" Luke asked him, deciding to trust Vassily. Maybe he'd regret it, but he would worry about that later..

"Yea."

"Take these girls home," Luke ordered. He released Vassily then reluctantly.

"Of course. My sister? Will you tell me if you find her? Her name's Galina..." Vassily paused. His face looked pained.

Luke didn't want to promise him anything, not after what Vassily had done to him, but Galina did not deserve what was happening to her. Luke knew that.

"I'll keep an eye out of her," Luke promised.

"Thank you."

Vassily then turned and herded the girls to the cars, and they got in with the remaining drivers' cars and tore off. Luke grabbed a phone off of a dead driver and ran to his car and got in, driving out of there at top speed. He was running out of time.

...

Henry was back in the motel room, and Kate was gone. He was wondering what the hell was going on when his phone rang from an unknown number. His gut told him he should answer it.

"Hello?"

"Henry!"

"Luke? Is that you?" he asked.

"Yes. Where are you?"

"Standing here like an idiot. What's going on?! Where's Kate? She's not here."

"Kate's in danger. Please tell me you can track her."

"Yea, actually. I can. Hang on," Henry said. He clicked through his computer, but his computer was fouling up.

"Henry?"

"My computer is malfunctioning."

"Well, fix it. Kate's gonna die real soon, Henry."

"I'm hurrying!" Henry exclaimed, panicking a little. He'd never felt so much pressure.

"Stay calm," Luke ordered.

"Yup, yup, I am," Henry tittered. He wasn't calm at all. He smacked his computer, feeling like an idiot. Miraculously, it came back. "I got it!"

"Good. Give me the coordinates."

Henry rhymed them off quickly.

"Thanks, Henry."

When Luke hung up, Henry sat in his chair feeling overwhelmed and freaked out. All he could do was wait, and he'd never felt so helpless.

...

Kate realized she had never known true terror now that she was experiencing this. The cartel members were laughing and mocking her as they drove to the middle of nowhere. She had tried to fight them off, but there were too many of them. When they arrived to their destination, Kate knew she'd probably find her end and soon. She still tried to kick and buck as they picked her up and carried her a few meters away. She couldn't do much with her hands and feet bound. When she saw the box and the hole in the ground, she started to scream through her gag. They dropped her into the box, still screaming. The one bent down to her as she struggled.

"Raul says hello and have a nice afterlife," he told her. "No one can fool him. No one."

He stood up, and they nailed the lid shut on her. She kicked and pushed her hands at the lid, desperate to get out but knowing it wasn't going to happen. She screamed in pain when they dropped the box into the hole. Unfortunately, it didn't break. She could hear the sand being dropped on it, and she started to cry. This was the end. This really was the end. She did her best to calm down, to conserve her air, but what was the point? She'd suffocate anyway. Mei was lost. Luke was probably dead since it looked pretty grim for him before she was taken away. Henry didn't know where she was because she had been snatched. No one was going to come for her. She gave up fighting and instead just lay there crying. It was too late.

...

Luke stopped where the coordinates said to, and he saw about six men standing around laughing a little ways from him. He recognized them from before when they had taken Kate away. They were absorbed in their own shenanigans and didn't notice the car. Luke called Henry back as he shut the ignition off.

"Did you find her?!" Henry asked, panicked.

"Yea. If I don't make it, send someone down here as fast as you can to these coordinates."

"Wait...what?"

Luke ignored him as he shoved the phone into his back pocket and grabbed his gun. He got out of the car, making one of the men turn to look at him finally, surprised.

"Hey!" Luke shouted. They all turned then, and Luke fired his gun. He hit two immediately, and they dropped. The rest scattered. One jumped into their car and drove away, throwing dirt everywhere. The other three decided to fight back. Luke dodged their bullets as he charged towards them. He ran out of bullets himself, so he picked up the shovel stuck in the dirt and started to swing. It didn't take him long to leave the remaining three dead on the ground. He was panting a little as he reached for the phone from where Henry's voice was shouting.

"Luke!"

"Yea?"

"What happened?"

"A little bit of payback," Luke answered. He began to search for Kate.

"Did you find Kate?"

"No," Luke answered. He felt sick. What if he was too late? What if they had already killed her?

"According to the GPS on your phone, you're practically on top of her," Henry told him. Luke was puzzled at first until he saw a rectangular sized dip in the ground staring back at him.

"Oh God," he said, feeling horrified. If Kate wasn't already dead under there, she'd almost be from panic or lack of air. He raced back for the shovel he had dropped after finishing his fight and then back to the grave.

"Where is she? What's going on?" Henry asked over the phone. Luke didn't answer. He shoveled like a madman, ignoring the fire in his arms and legs from the effort. After going down a few feet, he hit something hard. Luke hoped to God it was her. He got down and swept off the box.

"Kate?" he called, banging on it. "Hang on, I've got you."

He heard muffled shouting back, and the relief that she was alive was immense.

"Luke, what's happening?!" Henry yelled again. Luke grabbed the shovel and stabbed at the bottom corner of the box repeatedly. He hoped that was where her feet were. He didn't want to accidentally stab her in the head with his shovel. The wood cracked and splintered, and he worked to pull it off. Luke saw Kate bound and gagged in the box, breathing hard and looking extremely frightened. He grabbed her arms and pulled her up, both of them landing hard on the ground from the momentum. Luke removed her gag instantly.

"Oh my God!" she burst out, sobbing.

"It's all right," he said. "I got you." He started working to free her hands.

She heaved in breaths, still picturing herself in the box in the dark. She had no idea how long she had been under there. It had felt like hours, but upon seeing the dead bodies of her captors strewn about on the ground dead, she assumed it couldn't have been that long at all. Luke could tell she was about to have a panic attack.

"Hey," he said, stopping and grabbing her face. "Breathe. Inhale through your nose slowly."

She obeyed.

"Now exhale out your mouth. Slowly."

She did so.

"Again."

She repeated it. She gave a bit of a whimper on her exhale.

"Focus on me," Luke ordered, hands still on her face. "Breathe in. Breathe out." She did so.

"I couldn't...I couldn't breathe down there," she said after a few more times of regulated breathing.

"I know, but you're okay. I got you," Luke assured her. She nodded finally, and he finished freeing her from her bonds. Without really thinking, she threw her arms around him and clung to him. Luke held her close, knowing she needed the comfort.

"I thought you were dead," she said into Luke's ear.

"It's hard to get the drop on me," he replied.

"And Henry," Kate said, pulling back from Luke to look at him. "Is he okay?"

"Luke? Kate?" Henry's voice called from the phone. Luke picked it up and put it on speaker.

"I'm okay, Henry," Kate told him.

"Oh, thank God."

"Good job, Henry," Luke said.

"How did you find me?" Kate asked.

"I tracked you with the GPS in your shoe," Henry answered. "Then I lost signal when my computer freaked out, but I got it back. It's how we found you."

"You put a GPS in my shoe?" she asked.

"In your sole. You think I ever wanted to lose you after losing Mei?" Henry asked. "Give me some credit."

"We better go before someone notices us," Luke said. He figured it wouldn't be long before the cartel member who escaped told Raul that their plan failed. He stood and pulled Kate to her feet. He kept an arm around her as they headed for the car. She got into the passenger side and buckled in while he went around to the driver's side.

"Where to now?" Kate asked.

"Somewhere safe. Then we can plan our counter attack."

"I like it."

They rode in silence for a while. Kate felt embarrassed at the state she had been in when she was rescued.

"I'm sorry I cried," she said to Luke. He gave her a perplexed look in return.

"You're sorry you cried? After almost dying?"

"Well..."

"Kate, you're human. Human's cry. It's normal."

Kate didn't say anything further. The one thing she hated the most was being vulnerable. It seemed a whole lot worse to have been vulnerable in front of the man she originally couldn't stand but who was beginning to mean something more to her.

...

When they checked in to their new motel in Mexico, Luke let Kate go inside first. She stood there hugging herself for a moment, unsure what to do. Luke watched carefully.

"I...I think I'm going to take a shower," she finally said.

"Okay."

Luke could tell she was still very shaken from her experience.

"You want something to eat?" he asked. She looked at him, and he recognized her thought process and how it was registering that she was probably hungry after all.

"All right," she agreed.

"I'll go get something," he offered.

"You're leaving?" she asked, panicked.

"Not far," he promised. "There's a pizza joint just down the street."

Kate gave herself a shake. Of course. She was being ridiculous.

"Okay," she said, nodding. "Okay. I'm fine."

He didn't say anything else before going out. Kate stood there for however long before remembering she wanted to take a shower.

...

"Are you shitting me?" Alan's voice asked in his ear. Luke had called him when he was out just to fill him in. It was long overdue.

"No."

"You guys need to pull out. Now."

"We can't do that. We're too close," Luke said. "Besides, one way or another, Raul is going to make sure we stop breathing." He was mad at himself for missing the one guy who got away.

"Where's Henry?"

"Still in L.A., but he's coming down here. He'll be here in the morning."

"I don't like this, Luke."

"It has to be done. We'll never get this guy if we just give up and go home," Luke insisted. Alan sighed.

"I can see why Danny hired you."

"You talked to Danny?" Luke asked, surprised.

"No, no. I used to live in New York. I knew Danny through other ways."

"What ways are those?"

"That's between Danny and I."

"I see."

Luke didn't like not knowing this information at all. Alan could sense it.

"I'm not a dirty cop or anything," Alan promised. "I was more into media coverage back then before I did a career change and joined the FBI."

"You did interviews."

"Sort of. Then I learned I wanted to be the one to make the news, not deliver it."

Luke gave a small laugh. Obviously Alan got his information in a way that he wasn't supposed to.

"Is Kate okay?" Alan asked, changing the subject.

"She's shaken up."

"Just keep an eye on her, okay?"

"Will do."

They hung up, and Luke headed back to the motel.

...

Kate showered and then stood looking at herself in the mirror after, wrapped in a towel. She had a cut on her cheek from fighting with the cartel as well as a bruise. She had another bruise on her left shoulder, and her wrists had marks from where she had been bound. She was shaking a little as she stared at herself. Twice now in her lifetime she had almost been killed by cartel. This was why she had moved to Seattle. She felt her breathing get quicker and harder. The images all seemed to hit her at once. Her abduction, the gun to Luke's head, her in the box, and her air supply dwindling while she was underground. Treena's face then entered her mind, but she was dead, not alive. It was the last straw for Kate. She started to scream, pounding her fist against the mirror.

Luke opened the door and heard her screaming. He dropped the pizza on the table and pulled out his gun, feeling scared that somehow someone had found her and was trying to kill her again. He went quickly towards the bathroom and yanked the door open. There was no one there but Kate, and she was still screaming. He noticed the mirror was cracked, and she was moving to hit it again. Luke didn't even hesitate. He set his gun on the vanity and stepped towards her, managing to grab her arm to stop her from hitting the mirror. She yelped in surprise and tried to hit him, but he put his arms around her tightly, making her realize it was him. She turned and sobbed into his shoulder until she had nothing left in her. She pulled back from Luke then.

"I'm sorry," she apologized.

"You have to stop apologizing," he told her. "It's okay."

"I was so stupid," she said quietly after a moment. "I just assumed no one would have made us, you know? Since no one came after us after the club."

"We'll figure out how it happened," Luke promised.

"I don't feel anything," she went on. "I almost died, and I...I feel nothing."

"You're numb right now," he confirmed. "It happens."

Kate wondered what possessed him to even come and comfort her. She turned her head to look at him.

"Why?" she asked.

"Why what?"

"You...this..." she said.

"Well, I thought you were being murdered," he told her. "From the way you were screaming."

"Oh," she said as she finally registered the gun on the vanity and felt bad.

"Then I just figured you needed a friend," Luke finished.

He considered them friends? Kate was surprised by this, but then again she had been thinking of him in other ways previously herself. She guessed that after all they'd been through so far, maybe they were becoming friends. It was better than being enemies. He still annoyed her a lot, though, but friends could annoy one another, right? She felt a little confused still.

"I'm sorry."

"Stop that. It's fine," he assured her. He took her right wrist gently and held it up, looking at the cuts on her hand from hitting the mirror.

"I didn't think it through very well," she admitted.

"I can fix it up," he promised. He released her, and she followed him out to the main room. He had purchased a first aid kit to help fix up the wounds on her face and arms/wrists/hand, so he pulled it out now. Kate sat on the edge of the bed, holding her towel tightly to her with her left hand. Luke came over and started working on her cuts. He started with her hand, pulling out a small shard of glass. She winced.

"Sorry," he said.

"It's okay."

He cleaned and wrapped it, knowing she was lucky she didn't need stitches. He worked on the cut on her face next. He was impressed that she barely flinched as he cleaned it.

"There we go," he said when he was finished and put the small bandaid over it. Kate wasn't really sure what possessed her to do what she did next. She was desperate to just feel something, anything. Luke was a bit surprised but also not surprised when she kissed him. He got caught up in it because he partly knew she was looking for a way to feel something and also because he had previously enjoyed kissing her and had wanted to do so again. She pulled him down on top of her and was trying to pull off his shirt before Luke knew he had to stop. It was very hard to stop because he'd realized more and more that he was falling for this woman despite the way their relationship had started, but he knew she was not herself, and he didn't want her to make a mistake. He also didn't want to get hurt when she came to her senses after, and he figured she would.

"Kate," he said, pulling back. "We can't do this."

"I just want to feel something," she whispered. He took her chin in his hand gently.

"I know. I know you do, but we can't. You just had a near death experience. You're in shock, and you're not yourself. I will not let you do something that you will most definitely regret. I know you're not overly fond of me, and I don't want you to hate yourself for doing something you'd never do in your right mind," he finished.

"I don't hate you," she told him. "I know I say it a lot, but I don't really."

"Well, that's a step in the right direction, but I know I still piss you off," he laughed, taking his hand back. She didn't answer, but now she felt a little embarrassed.

"Do you hate me?" she asked. Luke knew he did not. In fact, he'd found her very attractive the first time he'd seen her in his bar, but when they officially met, she drove him a bit mad at times. Until now. Now, he found himself enjoying her digs at him. They always said the person who picks on you the most is usually the one that actually likes you.

"No," he shook his head. "I don't. I never did."

"Okay," she nodded. Luke sat up and collected the pieces of the first aid kit that were strewn about. He packed it all back into the box and stood, going over to the table and setting it down. Kate hugged herself, knowing she had overstepped, but she also knew that if he really hadn't wanted to let it go as far as it had, he wouldn't have. She wondered if he wanted to keep going but was more concerned with her interests so refrained. It was kind of sweet. Kate took a moment to breathe and to reflect on what had just happened, watching Luke start to eat the pizza. She had tried to sleep with Luke. She definitely was out of sorts. Then again, it wasn't exactly the first time she had considered it, and the last time she had been perfectly fine.

...

That night, Luke was on the couch again, and Kate was in the bed. Luke wasn't sleeping, though. He was thinking about earlier and the fact that if he had just gone along with it, he and Kate would have probably slept together. He felt a bit strange about it since it had been so long since he'd been with a woman. He could hear Kate tossing and turning. Eventually, she got up and went to stand by the window, looking outside. Luke could only imagine what she was thinking, having almost been buried alive and all. He shuddered just thinking about it. When she stood there for a long time, he got up and went over to her.

"Every time I close my eyes, I'm in that box," she said without looking at him. She hugged herself tightly. "I feel like I can't breathe."

"When this is over, you should talk to someone," Luke advised.

"I'm talking to you," she pointed out, looking at him finally.

"I'm not sure what to say," he admitted.

"I don't need you to say anything," she replied. She still felt a little embarrassed about kissing him earlier and getting rejected.

"Okay."

She rubbed at her face with her hand. She was so tired, but sleep was evading her. The memory was too strong.

"I feel like if I fall asleep, I'm going to wake up back there," she said after a bit. "I don't ever want to be caught off guard again."

"You won't," Luke promised. "Because I'm here."

"I thought about my sister," Kate went on. "I thought about how it's going to be her in a box in the ground sooner than later, and I couldn't stand it."

"She'll be gone, though, Kate. She won't know."

"I know," Kate said, tearing up still.

"Have you called her?"

"I can't. I can't seem to do it."

"Kate..."

"I know I don't have long," she said sharply, wiping at her eyes. "I know."

"I wish my last words to my wife hadn't been a warning," Luke said absently. Kate stilled. This was new, him sharing.

"Is she...?" she faltered.

"Vassily killed her. I failed to lose a fight all because the kid they put in with me got knocked out after just once punch. Vassily's father's revenge was to kill my wife, and my unborn child," Luke added. "It was one of Vassily's first kills."

"Oh my God, Luke." Kate now understood the anger Luke had towards Vassily now. Kate knew that if it had been her, Vassily might have ended up shot by now. How he had showed so much restraint was amazing.

"They threatened to harm anyone I got close to. They proved it by killing a guy I gave my boots to at a shelter. I was homeless on the streets for a year. I was standing in the subway waiting to jump and kill myself when I saw Mei."

Kate didn't know what to say. It was a very big share for him, but she realized what he was doing. He was making himself as vulnerable as she was to make her feel better.

"You really care about her," Kate said, referring to Mei.

"I do. She's like the daughter I never had, you know? Not that I'm very good Dad material," he snorted. "We settled on being friends. She didn't want anymore fathers, not after her adoptive father, Quan."

"She's lucky to have such a good friend," Kate noted.

"Maybe," he said.

Somehow it felt strange to know that he had had a wife. She assumed that he'd annoy everyone the way he'd annoyed her, but as she sat there, she realized that he hadn't really annoyed her recently. He'd grown on her. And for some reason, she wanted to keep talking with him about things she didn't talk to anyone about.

"Treena is my little sister," she said after a while. "When she got sick..." She paused, becoming emotional just remembering her sister's face at the diagnosis. Luke waited.

"When she got sick with cancer," she tried again after clearing her throat. "I felt as though I had failed her, you know? I'm her big sister. I'm supposed to keep her safe."

"You can't fight what you can't see. Only drugs can, if they work," Luke pointed out.

"I know, but it's like, what if I had told her to go in and get checked sooner? They would have found it and removed it. She'd be fine right now."

"You didn't know," he insisted. "How could you have?"

"Because I listened to her tell me all the time how tired she was, how little energy she had. I shook it off as just getting older and her job causing it. If I had really paid attention, I would have figured it out, but I was wrapped up in my own misery."

"Things happen the way they do for a reason, even though we have no idea what the reason is. It angers us, but it's out of our control," Luke advised.

"I can't be around her," Kate went on. "I can't look at her knowing that she is sitting there dying. I can't stand it. Maybe I'm just in denial. Maybe I'm being selfish, but I just can't do it."

"I get that, but think of how much worse you're gonna feel when you didn't get to see her before she died," Luke said.

"You don't think I tell myself that every day?" Kate asked.

"I'm sure you do."

Kate felt emotionally drained at this point. She thought about her 10 year old nephew, Scott, who was soon going to lose his mom. She could not imagine how he must be feeling. She didn't mention him to Luke.

"I'm so tired," she whispered.

Luke knew she was scared to sleep, so he did what he thought would help the best. He took her by the arm and guided her to the couch.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Helping," he answered.

"How?"

He didn't answer. He sat down and pulled her in beside him, putting his arm around her so that she was leaning on his chest. Kate briefly thought about Evan and how comforted she used to feel sleeping when he had his arms around her. Did Luke realize that? No. She hadn't even told him about Evan. She felt bad because he had shared about his wife. She hadn't even told him the disaster of her marriage.

"This okay?" he asked.

"Won't you be uncomfortable?"

"Don't worry about me."

"Okay," she said. There was something sweet about him giving up his own comfort for her. Two acts of sweetness in one night. What was happening here? She was too tired to analyze it. He pulled his blanket up over her, and she closed her eyes. Instantly, she was underground looking at the inside of the box. She jolted.

"It's all right," he said. He gently squeezed her arm to ground her. "You're here with me. You're safe."

Kate tried again, but the same thing happened. This time, her sister was lying beside her.

"I can't," she said, moving to get up.

"Hey," Luke said, catching her face with his hands. "You can. Just picture something else."

"I..."

"Don't say can't," he ordered. "You can. Here, let's me describe something to you so you don't have to think about it."

"It's not going to work."

"Not with that attitude."

Kate found herself getting annoyed with him again, but she knew he was just trying to help.

"Okay, fine," she caved. Luke thought for a moment before he started. Kate had to admit he was really good at this, and she could see exactly what he was telling her. She was standing on top of a mountain, 8,000 plus feet up. It was silent. It was vast. It was peaceful.

"Where are we?" she asked, her voice heavy with sleep. She couldn't believe this was working. She didn't hear his response, if he even gave one. His low voice and his heartbeat were in her ears, and she finally fell asleep.

...

Kate awoke to daylight, finding herself alone. She lifted her head slowly, her face having been stuck to the pillow. At some point in the night, Luke had put her back in the bed. It was quiet, so she assumed she was alone. Groaning, she reached for her phone. She had a bunch of messages from the night before around the time she had been kidnapped. She was lucky to still have her phone.

**I'm coming down there. Luke is meeting me in the morning. See you soon. Henry.**

**Kate, Treena is asking for you again. Please reconsider.**

**Kate, I might have a lead on something. Call me. Carter.**

Kate sat up upon seeing a voicemail message from a number she didn't recognize, and she dialed into it to listen.

_"Kate? It's me. Mei. I'm all right. I'm with a guy who says he knows you. Alejandro. We are going to take down Raul together, but you gotta know that someone on the inside is working with him. His name tag said 'C. Young,' so be careful. Please tell Luke I'm all right. See you soon."_

"Holy shit," she breathed. She tried calling Henry, but she didn't get an answer. She jumped up and paced. She tried Henry again, and still nothing.

"Come on, come on, come on!" she growled. She was aggravated that Luke did not have a cell phone, and she did not have the number of the one he'd stolen from the cartel. Who didn't have a cell phone of their own in this day and age anyway?! She heard voices outside her door then, and she grabbed her gun, aiming it in that direction. When Henry and Luke came in, laughing about something, Kate wanted to shoot both of them.

"Why haven't you checked your phone?!" she demanded, making them look at her. She still had her gun aimed at them.

"Are you gonna kill him for that?" Luke asked, a little concerned. She huffed and lowered her gun.

"Oh, shit," Henry said, pulling out his phone. "I'm sorry. I accidentally left it on silent."

"What's going on?" Luke asked, seeing her face and the stress on it.

"This," she answered, pulling up Mei's voicemail and playing it on speaker for them.

_"Kate, it's me..."_

Luke was instantly alert, and he stepped closer to the phone as though he could actually see Mei.

"Is that...?" Henry started. Kate shushed him, making them miss some of the message.

_"...I'm with a guy who says he knows you. Alejandro. We are going to take down Raul together__, but you gotta know that someone on the inside is working with him. His name tag said 'C. Young,' so be careful.__ Please tell Luke I'm all right. See you soon."_

"Where is she?" Luke demanded once it finished.

"I don't know that, do I? The only message I got is the one you just heard," Kate said, irritated.

"C. Young?!" Henry exclaimed. "As in FBI agent Carter Young?!"

"That explains why none of his driver's made Raul's team," Luke said, getting it. "He would tell Raul which ones not to pick from the first race cos he knew which ones were undercover."

"This is my fault," Kate said, realizing.  
"What is?" Luke asked.

"Carter wrote me last night about getting us into a race for Raul. I told him we were already in. He's the one who told Raul and blew our cover," Kate explained. "He also has written me last night to say he has a lead."

"Don't answer it," Luke ordered quickly. "It's a test. He's seeing if you're still alive." Then he realized it wouldn't matter anyway because of the guy who escaped and ran to Raul. Carter probably already knew.

"Ditch your phone," he told Kate. "You're probably being traced."

Kate stomped on it immediately, feeling stupid for not realizing that sooner. Henry should be all right since he was not in touch with Carter, but he stomped on his phone anyway. Luke kept the cartel's phone for now.

"So what do we do now?" Henry asked. Luke was looking at Kate.

"We find Raul, we find Mei," he said.

"Then let's find Raul," Kate nodded.

* * *

**As always, I enjoy hearing your thoughts!**


	8. Chapter 8

_Every one of us is expendable..._

Mei was sitting beside Alejandro and waiting for Raul to come and "get" her when she remembered why C. Young looked familiar to her.

"What is it?" Alejandro asked, seeing her face.

"I know where I've seen that FBI agent before," Mei answered.

"Where?"

"I went to a training event four months ago, and he was there. He had heard about my gift of memorization. I remember because he had been so interested about it. I should have paid attention to that."

"You can't help it."

"He's the one who infiltrated Steve into my life and did this to me," Mei said, clenching her fists. "Just wait until I get a hold of him."

"So if he is in this business, he will be making big bucks," Alejandro mused. "Why stay with the FBI?"

"Power. Control. Influence," Mei rhymed off. "Because nobody has figured it out yet."

"Raul will talk," Alejandro said confidently. They could hear a car approaching them, and Mei tensed. Alejandro signaled for her to get into position, which she did. She couldn't wait to see Raul's face.

...

"Tell me something good, Henry," Kate said, looking back at him in the car. They were parked near Raul's Mexican home. She felt almost relieved to have Henry there as an ice breaker. She hadn't been alone with Luke since the night before, and she felt a mixture of embarrassment and awkwardness around him now. The way they had been vulnerable together...it just had felt so unlike them. It unsettled her.

"Raul is not at home," Henry answered. "I've hacked into his security footage, and it shows he left about an hour ago."

"Which way?" Luke asked.

"Um, he turned left," Henry answered. "After that, I don't know where he is."

"This is like trying to find a needle in a haystack," Luke sighed.

Kate was feeling frustrated. She had tried calling back the number Mei had called her from on the cartel's phone, but no one was answering. Now Raul was in the wind.

"Can you hack into his GPS system?" Luke asked, thinking. Henry's hands paused over the keys of his laptop.

"Yes. I can," he answered.

"You think he's entered his destination," Kate said, getting it.

"He seems to love the damn things, so yea, I think he has," Luke nodded. Henry typed furiously.

"Got it!" he said, triumphant. He told Luke the address, and Luke started to drive. It was time to take down Raul.

...

Raul was a very easy man to take captive, and his body guards easy to take out. Alejandro kind of wished it had been more of a challenge. The man was tied to a chair in front of him now, and both Alejandro and Mei were standing there looking at him. Raul was glaring back. Mei had been right in that his face had been on of utter shock and terror when Alejandro had attacked him upon his arrival and killed his men with barely any effort. Now, he was haughty again.

"This is what I get for doing business in person," he snapped.

"The reason you were not shot last night," Alejandro interrupted "is because we know you're working with an FBI agent. We want to know where he is."

"I'll never talk," Raul said defiantly. Alejandro looked over at Mei, who swallowed.

"You might want to leave now," Alejandro said to her.

Mei didn't say a word as she stepped out. Torture wasn't her thing. She sat outside, listening to the wind. Miguel and Beth were out somewhere else staying safe until this was done. Mei just wanted to get Beth home. The girl needed her family. She clenched her rifle tightly when she heard a car approaching. She stood, gun cocked and aimed, when it crested the hill.

...

Luke stopped the car abruptly when he saw her standing there pointing her gun at them. Kate felt immense relief upon seeing Mei.

"What?" Henry asked. He couldn't see from the backseat.

"I'm gonna get out before she shoots us all," Luke answered. He put the car in park and opened the door.

"Stay where you are!" Mei shouted at him, but then she saw him. Luke watched as she lowered her gun before dropping it on the ground altogether. He walked towards her quickly, and she sprinted down the slope to him. Kate and Henry got out of the car in time to see Mei throw herself into Luke's embrace, crying. It made Kate feel emotional inside. She heard Henry give a sniff beside her, and she turned to look at him.

"I like happy endings," he said defensively.

"This is far from over," Kate told him.

"I know, but we got Mei back. That's at least one good ending."

Kate didn't respond. What Mei had endured, she wouldn't know, not unless Mei told her.

"How did you find me?" Mei asked Luke, still hugging him.

"I asked questions and got answers," he replied. She pulled back from him then.

"Raul is inside," she told him.

"I know. We followed him here."

"He's working with the FBI."

"We got your message."

"Good, that's good," Mei nodded. Then she saw Kate. "Kate!" She rushed over to hug her too. "I'm so happy to see you."

"Me too," Kate said. Then Mei hugged Henry, making him blush.

"You came too?" she asked him after.

"They needed a tech guy," Henry shrugged. Luke could tell instantly that Henry liked Mei. He was okay with that. Henry was a good guy, and he'd earned Luke's respect. They heard screaming coming from inside then, and Mei flinched.

"Who else is in there?" Luke asked.

"My associate," Mei answered.

"Alejandro," Kate murmured. Mei looked at her.

"How do you know him?" she asked, curiously.

"It was a long time ago. It wasn't exactly a good time," Kate answered. She shivered inside, wondering if he even remembered her.

"Mei?" Alejandro's voice called once the screaming had stopped. "I got an answer. He was not hard to break." He appeared at the door, and he froze. He looked at the new company before him.

"This is my mentor, Kate Macer," Mei said. "And my friend, Luke Wright. And my coworker, Henry DeLuca."

"Kate," Alejandro repeated, looking at her.

"No guns in my face today, okay?" Kate said, a little bit hostile. "And don't you dare shoot me again." Luke and Henry both frowned at her.

"What did he tell you?" Mei asked Alejandro, cutting in before it became a fight.

"He told me where to find Carter," Alejandro answered.

"That's easy. He's at the FBI office," Henry said.

"No, no," Alejandro shook his head. "He told me where to find Carter when he's not at the FBI office."

"Tell me," Kate ordered.

"He has a warehouse. He keeps his stock there, and some of the girls."

"Are you coming with us?" Mei asked him. He shook his head again.

"No," he answered. "Once I'm finished with Raul, my work here is done."

"Raul is your target," Kate said, getting it.

"Yes."

"Graver okay with that? He put you up to it?"

"Graver and I aren't on speaking terms at the moment," Alejandro explained.

"Oh, well, that's too bad. You two were such the dream team," Kate snarked.

"I am sorry, Kate, for how it all went down before..." he started.

"I don't want to hear it," she snarled. Luke put a hand on her shoulder then, trying to tell her to relax a little.

"Luke Wright," Alejandro said then. "I've heard of you."

"You have?" Luke asked, feeling uneasy.

"Oh yes. We sicarios know about each other at some point. You and Alex Rosen looked after New York City, no?"

Kate looked back and forth between Luke and Alejandro. What was he talking about?

"It was a long time ago," Luke said quietly. "I'm out of the game now."

"That's too bad. I heard you were quite the assassin," Alejandro commented.

"Not anymore."

Kate's mind was reeling. What was he saying? Luke was avoiding her gaze now. Alejandro let it go then, and he gave a slight nod to them all before going back inside. Kate charged after him, putting her thoughts of Luke aside for now. She found him back in the room with a worked over Raul.

"What...?" Alejandro started, but Kate bent down into Raul's face, ignoring him.

"See me? You bastard," she said. "I'm not dead. You failed. Now rest with the dead knowing that I am going to take down the rest of your empire."

Raul stared at her without saying a word, and Kate turned to leave. She walked past everyone outside and went into the car. She was breathing hard as her thoughts started up again. Luke had been an assassin. That was what Director Alan had found out. Luke was no better than Alejandro. She closed her eyes, trying to calm down. Luke seemed so different from Alejandro, though. She had been completely fooled. She opened her eyes when the doors opened and Luke, Mei, and Henry got in.

"You all right?" Luke asked her, concerned. She didn't respond, just gave a curt nod.

"I've got Carter's location," Henry said.

"Good. Once we get there, you and Mei hang back, and Kate and I will finish it," Luke instructed.

"I'm helping," Mei insisted.

"No, you're not."

"I'm capable, and you know it."

"Mei..."

"She's my team member," Kate cut in. "If she's wanting to help, she's helping."

Luke didn't say anything else. He had to realize that Mei was an adult and had training. She wasn't just a kid anymore.

"Fine," he said. They drove away, leaving Alejandro behind. Mei knew that Beth was in good hands, that she didn't need to stay anymore. Mei had asked Alejandro to let her know when they got Beth home safely. He had promised he would.

...

Alejandro was loading his pistol and getting ready to finish his mission when Raul coughed and looked at him.

"You'll never survive this," he said.

"Survive what?"

"Carter. He's more than you think," Raul went on. He started to laugh. "You all have no idea."

"Well, then you're gonna tell me," Alejandro said, lowering his gun.

"You don't have to beat me up for it," Raul said. "I know I'm dying anyway regardless of what you do to me. It's too late anyway. Your friend is gonna wind up dead because Carter is waiting for her."

"And how did he know she was coming for him?"

"He's a smart man."

"When you say he's more than what we think, what does that mean?" Alejandro asked.

"His operation is much bigger than me. He's got people everywhere. You'll never end it."

"Tell me."

Raul coughed and shook his head.

"I'm not saying another word. Do what you want to me. I don't care."

Alejandro knew this was true. He was not going to get anymore from this man, not after what Alejandro had already done to him.

"Well, then," Alejandro said, aiming his gun at Raul again. "Adios."

...

Luke parked far enough away so that they could gear up and approach. He looked at the building below them, and he wondered what they were going to find there.

"I've never been on a raid before," Henry said. He'd only ever watched from behind the scenes. He was, and sounded, nervous.

"You don't have to come," Kate told him.

"You guys need all the help you can get," Henry insisted despite being nervous. "I'm a big boy. I'll be fine."

Luke knew he was really going to protect Mei, which made him feel relieved. He didn't want to lose focus by looking out for her as well. Mei had explained on the drive about how she had met Carter and how he had been intrigued by her gift. Kate had felt angry knowing that she couldn't even trust her own agency now. She stood, ready to go.

"I don't know how many are inside," she started. "I don't know what we're going to find. Just keep your heads low and stay focused." She avoided looking at Luke. She was still feeling betrayed about his past and the fact he had kept it from her. He knew this, but he also knew now was not the time to get into it.

"Let's go," she said, moving forward. She felt her adrenaline start to kick in as they walked. It was time to end this.

...

Alejandro stood outside the now burning building and pondered on what to do. After contemplating it all, he made a decision. He pulled out his phone.

"Miguel?"

"Yea?"

"Is Beth safe?"

"Yes."

"Good. I need you to meet me somewhere."

"What's going on?"

"Some friends of mine are walking into an ambush. We're gonna help them," Alejandro explained.

"Sounds good."

Alejandro gave him the location to meet him, and they hung up. He hesitated briefly, hovering his finger over another contact in his phone. He knew that if things got messy, nowhere in Mexico would be safe, not even a hospital. He thought of Kate and how their last interaction together had affected her. He wanted to make things right. He dialed.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Matt."

There was silence on the other end.

"You gotta be shitting me," Matt finally said. "But...somehow I knew you weren't dead."

"This isn't about me. This is about taking down someone who is a major link to the cartel. He works for the FBI. Carter Young."

"I'm listening."

"There are Americans down here, FBI agents, who are going to take him down. They're gonna need help."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Send help."

He heard Matt inhale slowly and exhale hard.

"We never had this conversation," Matt said after a moment. "I received an anonymous tip."

"Fine."

"You're still dead."

"Works for me."

"Where am I going?"

Alejandro gave him the location. Then he hung up, got into his car, and sped off.

...

Kate went through the door first, and she didn't see anything. She felt Henry squeeze her shoulder and then move left. Mei went with him. At least Henry remembered his training. She felt relieved about that. Luke stayed with Kate, who carefully crept around the wall, searching. They came across a door, and Kate nodded to Luke, who kicked it open. She went in after him, and they found about ten girls cowering and crying.

"Geez," Luke said. It made him sick to his stomach to see them all cowering and afraid.

"We're FBI," Kate explained to them, taking charge. "We'll get you out of here."

One girl nodded and looked grim. The rest were still emotional.

"Contact! I've got contact!" Henry shouted over the comms. Kate spun to look at Luke.

"I'm on it," he said, leaving her to find Henry.

"Come on, girls," Kate urged. They held each other's hands as they followed her out and to the door. Kate stopped short when she saw ten men standing outside with guns aimed at them.

"Back, back! Go back!" she shouted to the girls. They screamed and pushed each other back. Kate realized what was happening here. Raul had set them up.

"It's an ambush," she said to her team through the comms. "They knew we were coming."

"Yea, figured that," Luke's voice came back.

"What do we do?" Henry asked.

"Get out," she ordered. "All of you."

"And you?" Henry asked.

Kate didn't answer. She looked at the girls, who were looking at her with such hope in their eyes that her heart broke a little.

"Come on," she said to them. "There's gotta be another way out of here."

She walked as they followed. Kate was not going to let these girls get hurt, even if she died trying.

...

"Why isn't she answering?" Mei asked as Luke shot another cartel. He reloaded quickly.

"She's going to get herself killed going after Carter, isn't she?" Henry asked.

"You two get out of here," Luke finally said. "She's right. It's an ambush."

"Wait, what are you going to do?" Mei asked him, worried.

"I'm gonna save her ass again is what," he answered.

"But..."

"I'll be fine. Come on, Mei. This is me we're talking about," Luke said, giving her a look.

"Okay," she caved.

"There's a door this way," Henry said to her. "Good luck, Luke."

"Hurry up," Luke urged. They left him there, Mei giving him one last look before disappearing around the corner. Luke refused to think about what could possibly happen to all of them. He tightened his grip on his gun as he moved forward.

...

Mei and Henry managed to get outside without meeting anyone else, but they were surprised by the men waiting for them.

"Oh no," Henry said, fear taking hold. There were too many of them.

"Drop your weapons!" the one cartel shouted. Mei looked at Henry.

"I'd rather die," she said. He swallowed.

"Okay," he nodded. They turned back to start firing only to find the cartel being dropped. Mei shot at the ones left standing, as did Henry. When all ten were on the ground, Mei caught sight of two figures standing behind where the men had been standing. She rushed over to them, Henry on her heels.

"What are you doing here?" Mei asked Alejandro and Miguel. "Where's Beth?"

"She's safe," Miguel answered.

"Raul told me this was a set up," Alejandro told her. "We came to assist."

"Kate and Luke are still in there," Mei gestured. Gunshots went off again, making them all duck.

"Oh great," Henry said. "Reinforcements."

"We have to take care of these ones before going in there," Alejandro said. Mei worried about Luke and Kate greatly, but she knew that it was no use trying to get them out only to face the cartel out here. She and Henry ran for cover, as did Alejandro and Miguel. The fight was on.

...

Luke picked away at the cartel he came across while trying to find Kate. She wasn't answering him on the comms, which was worrying him. He resorted to his last option.

"Kate?!" he shouted. His voice echoed, and he cringed. That would give him away in seconds, but no one came. This made Luke very suspicious. Why were there not a lot more cartel in here?

"Luke?" she called back. He surged forward, following where her voice came from. He found her and the girls at a dead end.

"Why are you still in here?" she asked him when she saw him.

"What are you doing?" he countered.

"Trying to get out of here. There's too many outside for me to take down on my own."

"I sent Mei and Henry out," Luke said, realizing.

"Damn it," Kate said angrily. "They'll be outmatched."

"Why didn't you answer us?" Luke demanded, trying not to worry about Mei and Henry.

"My comms broke down," Kate explained.

"Hang on," Luke said, hearing Henry's voice in his ear suddenly. "Henry? What's going on out there?"

"We're taking care of the guys outside," Henry said back. Luke could hear gunshots in the background. "Alejandro and this other guy came to help. We're all right."

"Okay. We'll meet you outside," Luke said. He turned to Kate. "They're fine. They got back up."

"From who?"

"Your old pal."

Kate wondered why Alejandro would come to assist when he had finished his mission with Raul. She didn't dwell on it for too long, though. She had to get these girls out of there.

"There's a van," one of the girls piped up then. Kate and Luke turned to look at her.

"Where?" Kate asked.

"Not far from here. I can drive if we get there," she said.

"What's your name?" Kate asked.

"Amy. I have FBI training. I'm still new," she added. Kate felt sick that Carter was targeting young FBI women who were in training.

"Here," Luke said, handing her one of his extra guns. "You'll need this."

"How many of you are in the FBI?" Kate asked. Four others held up their hands.

"I really hate this guy," Luke muttered.

"How many of you attended a training event four months ago?" Kate asked the five FBI girls.

"All five of us," Amy answered. "We're from different field offices, though."

"And who are you guys?" Kate asked the other five girls.

"We were brought along to make them cooperate," one whispered. Luke's ears perked at her Russian accent.

"Galina?" he asked.

"Yes?" she said, sounding surprised and hopeful.

"Vassily is looking for you."

"Oh my God," Galina cried.

"We'll get you out of here," Luke promised.

"Carter knows that we don't want someone else to get hurt, so he brings one extra girl for each one of us to use as leverage. He was going to be splitting us up soon and sending us off to 'work.' As long as we cooperate, the other girl doesn't have to work," Amy explained.

"So, they're random victims?" Kate asked.

"Yes," Amy nodded.

"Is he here?" Kate asked.

"I don't know," Amy answered, shaking her head.

"I only have one other extra gun," Kate said, holding it out. "Who wants it?"

"Tammy's a great shot," Amy said, pointing. Kate handed it to Tammy, who nodded in thanks.

"We'll get you to this van," Kate promised. "Then you guys get out of here."

"You two cover the back," Luke said. Amy and Tammy nodded and got into position. Luke and Kate moved forward carefully. Amy guided them to where the van was parked, and when they approached it, Luke held up his fist to make them stop.

"Let me check it," he said. They watched as he got down to the floor and looked under it with his light. Kate kept scanning for cartel, but no one seemed to show up. She found this bizarre.

"No go," Luke said, getting back up to his feet.

"What?" Kate asked, feeling both disappointed and angry.

"It's rigged," he explained. "We're gonna have to go out the front door. I'm not getting this at all. Why is Carter doing this?"

"Because...Carter is Henessy," Kate realized. She knew Carter was in there, watching. She could feel him. She recalled his facial expression when she had mentioned Henessy's name to him when they first met. He had been so careful to show confusion and surprise, but thinking about it now, that confusion and surprise hadn't reached his eyes. How had she missed it?

"What?" Luke asked.

"Think about it. He is in cahoots with Raul, who moves the drugs. Henessy moves the girls. There are girls in here. He got Mei sent down here because she has that gift, but it was a huge bonus to find out she was working his case. He didn't realize that I was working his case too until I showed up. He tried to get rid of me and failed. That escaped cartel guy told him, so he lets Raul get caught by Alejandro and tell us where to find him because Raul is expendable, and it's easier for me to come to him. He can always find another drug lord anyway. He knows I'm going to do what it takes to get these girls out of here. He knows that I've figured him out. He wants to kill me. This is personal," Kate explained.

"Well done, Kate Macer," Carter's voice reached them. Luke, Amy, and Tammy all raised their guns upward, searching. Kate didn't bother.

"Luke," she said quietly. "Get them out of here." He looked at her intensely then.

"I'm not leaving you," he insisted.

"Luke," she said firmly. "It's okay."

He kept staring at her, and she tried to convey that she really was okay. Carter was right. She'd do anything to save these girls and Luke. It took her by surprise at how much she actually cared about Luke now, even if she was still a bit miffed that he used to be an assassin.

"Go," she urged.

"You better listen to her, Luke," Carter called from wherever he was hiding. "The longer you hesitate, the sooner I and my men start shooting."

Luke seemed as though he was contemplating something, which was causing Kate to feel frustrated. Was he not listening? Did he want them all to get killed?

As soon as Kate heard the first shot go off, she knew exactly who it was for. She gasped as it ripped into her side, and she dropped her gun. Luke instantly reached for her, grabbing her arms as she fell to her knees. He went down with her.

"Kate?" he said. She couldn't believe she heard fear in his voice. Was he afraid to lose her? "Kate!"

"Get. Out. Of here," she managed to say through the pain. "Now."

Amy and Tammy took no convincing. They started leading the others away. Luke was being stubborn, though. Kate grunted in pain while he knelt before her and held her upright. They heard Amy and Tammy firing off shots in the distance now.

"I can't in good conscience leave you like this," he insisted.

"Carter will kill...all those girls if...you don't leave me here," Kate said, breathing hard. She pulled out her other gun then. "Go before I...shoot you myself." She realized then that this threat was meant to keep him safe, not to actually harm him. Of all things, she started to think about Alejandro and how he had threatened her with a gun to make her sign those papers. Had it been done to keep her safe from something bigger? Was that all that really was?

Luke did not want to leave her, but he knew she'd be true to her word and shoot him if he didn't. He was not, however, going to abandon her. Once he got those girls out, he was returning for her, but she didn't need to know that.

"Luke," she said through gritted teeth. "Now."

He pulled her into a tight hug, surprising her.

"Thank you for finding Mei," he said, "for not giving up, and for putting up with me."

"Quit stalling," she said, not sure of what else to say. He reluctantly released her, but not before he slid his knife into her back pocket. He refused to say goodbye. He stood and forced himself to not look back as he walked away. Kate had a very strong feeling that he was going to be coming back for her anyway. As soon as he was gone, she was surrounded by Carter and a bunch of his men.

* * *

**I'm sorry if I suck at action scenes. I do my best. I hope you guys are still enjoying this story. It is coming close to the end.**


	9. Chapter 9

**I hope everyone is still enjoying this story!**

* * *

_Before another second clicks away, one of us will die._

"Where's Kate?" Mei asked when Luke appeared out the door. She, Henry, Alejandro, and Miguel had taken care of the cartel outside. Amy and the other girls had also made it out safely and were huddling together.

"She's still in there," Luke answered. "But not for long." He had always known he was going back inside to get her. He hoped Carter had been convinced by his farewell enough to believe Luke was not coming back. Alejandro heard helicopters in the distance approaching, and he knew it was Matt coming with his brigade. He signaled to Miguel.

"What's going on?" Mei asked, hearing the helicopters too.

"I sent for help," Alejandro answered. Miguel returned with Beth, who still looked very scared. She moved closer to Mei, surveying the others suspiciously.

"You'll be in good hands. He'll get you home," Alejandro assured Beth.

"You called Graver," Miguel said, seeing the helicopters and realizing.

"I did."

"Thought you didn't want him to know you were still alive?"

"Sometimes drastic times call for drastic measures," Alejandro said.

"Thank you," Mei said. "For everything."

"You're welcome, but I'm not finished. Luke, may I assist?" Alejandro asked, looking at Luke.

"Be my guest," Luke replied. "But hurry up."

"I will not return to say goodbye. I don't want Graver to see me here," Alejandro said to Mei.

"Okay," Mei nodded. Alejandro dipped his head in farewell to her, but she surprised him by giving him a hug. The ache inside from missing hugs from his daughter threatened to burst forth, but he held it in check.

"Take care," she said.

"You too," he nodded. Then he went to follow Luke, who was heading back inside. He gestured to Miguel, who understood he was to disappear, and he did so quickly.

"Stay here with the girls," Luke told Mei, who nodded. "Henry, you're with us." Henry trotted to catch up to Luke, and all three of them disappeared inside just as the helicopters landed.

...

Kate had given it her best shot, but having a bullet hole in her gave Carter the advantage. He had come down from his perch with his men after Luke had left, and she had attacked him with the knife Luke had given her. She managed one stab, but he hit her wound, making her almost scream, and he shoved her down. His men simply watched, chuckling. Now, Carter stood with his gun aimed at Kate. She was bleeding pretty badly at this point, especially after him hitting the wound, and it was killing her. She was sitting on the floor trying to stay awake, pressing her hands into her wound to stop the bleeding as best as she could.

"You had to meddle," Carter was saying. She squinted up at him.

"It's my job to meddle," she answered. "We are the FBI, but you wouldn't know that, would you? Traitor."

"There's better money with bad guys, what can I say?"

"You're pathetic."

"I think it's safe to say that you aren't going to be able to spew your angry words at me much longer," Carter said, looking at her. "Either you bleed out, or I shoot you."

"So shoot me," she spat.

"I think I want to watch you suffer," Carter shook his head. "After all, you caused me a lot of grief, and I want to make sure this time that you die." Kate grunted and briefly closed her eyes. Carter knelt down in front of her, his hands crossed over his knees.

"It's painful, isn't it?" he asked.

"Screw you."

"You're not my type," Carter nodded. "But thanks."

Kate hissed and groaned in pain. She wondered what death would be like. She felt bad that her parents were going to lose both of their children in a matter of days. She knew that's all Treena had left: days. Maybe not even that.

"Once you're gone," Carter went on. "It won't be hard to get Mei again. I'll do it just to spite you, and this time, I'll kill her. I won't fool around with making her work. That was my mistake this time."

"You'll never...get her again," Kate managed to say. She leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes again. It was starting to feel fuzzy. She could see Treena looking at her, crying, and Kate couldn't make her image go away. She felt tears come then for herself, but she fought them off. She would not let Carter see her cry.

A slight noise made Carter snap his head up, searching. Kate opened her eyes again half way. She was feeling light headed. Carter stood, his gun out in front of him as he did a sweep. Bullets came flying from the darkness, and Carter's men cried out as they fell, dead. She watched as Luke came out of the shadows up behind Carter, but Carter was good. He swiftly turned and shot Luke right in the chest, making him grunt and fall backwards. Kate managed a type of scream through her pain. Carter grinned as he stood over Luke.

"They always come back for the girl," he commented.

"No," Luke shook his head. "I just really hate loose ends." Carter moved to shoot him when a bullet went right through his back and out his chest. Carter groaned as he collapsed beside Luke.

"How's that feel?" Luke asked. "Hurts, huh?"

Henry came down and hurried over to Kate. She coughed.

"Where you hit?" he asked her.

"Here," she said, pointing. Henry lifted her shirt to see, and he inhaled sharply.

"You're gonna bleed out," he said. "Come on." He lifted her up and supported her with his shoulder.

"Any last words?" Luke asked Carter.

"Someone will replace me. There's always someone waiting to take over. You'll never end this, Kate," he said.

"Watch me," Kate managed to say. Then Luke pulled out his gun and shot him one more time, and it was quiet. He groaned loudly as he got to his feet.

"You okay?" Henry asked him.

"Yea. I see why you guys wear body armor now," Luke commented. He didn't miss Kate's slight chuckle since he had let on to her before that he was a tough guy who didn't need protection. He went over and put her other arm around his shoulder, walking out with Henry on the other side. Alejandro stepped out from the shadows before her, and Kate stared at him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked weakly.

"Making up for the past," he answered. He had taken out the cartel standing around her while Luke and Henry had gotten into position. He had also shot Carter when Luke was down.

"Consider yourself off the hook," she told him. She remembered what had happened to his wife and daughter. If it had been her, she would have done what he had done herself. She was more angry at Matt Graver than Alejandro anyway. She knew he had been sent by Graver to get the forms signed. He had known Alejandro would have better luck getting her to sign them. He had been right.

"We can't chit chat here," Luke interrupted. "She's bleeding out."

"Take care, Kate," Alejandro said, bowing his head and disappearing. Henry and Luke hustled her outside between them.

"Kate?!" Mei called, rushing towards them. "You're hurt!"

"Flesh wound," Kate grimaced. "I'll be all right."

"I'm gonna alert the medics from the chopper," Henry told her, leaving Luke to hold her up himself while he ran over to get them. Matt had brought along an EMS chopper too based on a hunch.

"Kate Macer," Matt said, coming into view and looking at her. She swore.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"An old friend called in a favor. Now I see why he went through the trouble of coming back from the dead. He did it for you," Matt said, chewing on his gum slowly. "So where is this Carter Young guy?"

"He's dead," Luke answered.

"Why am I not surprised?" Matt asked sarcastically.

"Are you done?" Luke countered. He could feel Kate beginning to sag as she was slowly losing consciousness. He needed Henry to hurry the hell up.

"CIA will be taking over the case from here," Matt told Kate, ignoring Luke.

"Fine," she managed to say. She didn't care. They could take it up with her boss, and her boss could fight it if he wanted it. She was done with it. She was tired. Henry was back by her side now.

"They're going to take us back to L.A.," Henry explained. The girls were loaded onto two choppers. The paramedics from the EMS chopper came over and helped Kate onto the stretcher and worked to cover the wound and stop the bleeding. As they were doing this, Luke went over to Galina.

"You have Vassily's number?" he asked her. She nodded and rhymed it off for him as he dialed on his borrowed phone. When Vassily answered, Luke handed the phone over to Galina. He could hear Vassily on the other end exclaiming in relief as Galina cried and told him where she was. Luke let her keep the phone. He wasn't going to need it anymore. He went back over to where the paramedics were finishing up with Kate and moving her to the chopper. Luke climbed in with her, surprising Henry.

"Make sure Mei's all right," Luke said to him over the noise.

"Okay," he nodded. The door was shut, and Luke shifted to see Kate. She was looking at him.

"Henry coulda come with me," she said.

"I don't mind," he replied. The paramedic covered her face with an oxygen mask at this point, and Kate closed her eyes. On instinct, Luke reached to take her hand in his, and he felt her lightly squeeze back. They started this journey together, and they were going to end it together.

...

Kate opened her eyes and remembered where she was. She was in a hospital in L.A., and it was two days after she had been shot. She turned her head to see Luke sitting in the chair beside her. He was sleeping. Kate groaned slightly as she tried to sit up. It all came back to her then. Carter being Henessy. The girls. Getting shot. Luke coming back for her.

"Hey," Luke said. She looked at him again, and was now watching her.

"Hi."

"You all right?"

"Sore as hell, but I'm fine," she answered. "Why are you here? You didn't have to stay here."

"It's my shift," he explained.

"Oh."

Luke smiled a little.

"Graver?"

"Gone."

Once he had taken over the case, Matt Graver disappeared back to where he'd come from. Luke wondered about this Alejandro guy and why he went through the trouble of revealing he was alive to save Kate.

"Graver took my case," Kate growled. She was a bit mad about that now that she wasn't in so much pain, but at least Henessy was dead. Her case was solved. The fallout was now out of her hands, but a part of her felt relieved about it.

"Yea."

"Well, cartel is his area of expertise anyway," she sighed. "I'll stick with my mediocre kidnapping cases."

"Mediocre?" Luke asked.

"You know what I mean," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "I don't have to worry about getting buried alive by cartel if I stick with my line of work."

"Right."

"And you," she said, pointing at him now. "You straight up disobeyed orders."

"Doing what?"

"Coming back for me."

"Like you wouldn't have done the same thing," Luke pointed out.

He had her there. Kate bit her tongue. He laughed at her expression.

"You just hate that it was me who saved your ass," he said. "Again."

"Here we go," Kate huffed.

"Well, you're in luck," Luke said. "Mei and I are going back to Seattle tonight. Henry is going to stay with you until you can travel. Mei has to give her statements to Alan and get checked out. You won't have to put up with me any longer."

"Good," Kate said, but she didn't mean it. A part of her felt a little panicky at the thought of not seeing him anymore.

"You're awake," Mei said happily, coming in then. Henry was behind her.

"Yes," Kate nodded.

"I'm sorry we can't stay longer. Alan wants me back to talk about what happened," Mei went on. "Henry is gonna stay, though."

"I'm sure I'll be out of here soon enough," Kate said. She felt sad about her team breaking up. Well, her team would be the same when she got home, but Luke wouldn't be on it anymore. This made her feel a bit somber for some reason.

"Okay, everyone out," a nurse said as she entered the room. "We gotta do our assessment now."

"See you soon," Henry told her.

"See you back home," Mei said, hugging her. She and Henry went out. Kate did not miss the meaningful look Mei gave Henry as they left Luke behind.

"You too, sir," the nurse said.

"Go see your sister, Kate," Luke said, ignoring the nurse. "When you get out of here. Go see her."

"I will," Kate promised.

"It's been real fun," Luke continued. "I guess I'll maybe see you around sometime."

"I'll always need a drink," she said, making him chuckle.

"All right," he nodded. He gave her one last smile before leaving.

"Goodness, he sure likes you," the nurse said as she started her assessment.

"What?" Kate asked.

"Oh, honey, are you blind? The man sat here for two days straight."

"He...he did?" She was confused. He had said they all took shifts. Had he lied? Why would he lie?

"Uh huh. Threatened the doctor a little too when you were in surgery and he wasn't getting updates as fast as he wanted. That boy is crazy about you."

"I seriously doubt that. We don't even like each other that much," Kate scoffed. "I mean, he did nothing but antagonize me the whole time we worked this case together."

"You know what they say, right? When a boy teases a girl and picks on her a lot, it means he likes her," the nurse smiled.

"No," Kate shook her head. "No, that's not true."

"Oh, girl, you really are out of the game," the nurse laughed. Kate said no more while the nurse finished up. It did get her thinking, though, of all the moments she and Luke had had since they had met. She also thought about her own thoughts and feelings, but she hadn't considered that maybe Luke had the same in return for her. Was the nurse right?

"You will be good to go and get out of here tomorrow," the nurse said when she finished. "The doctor will come and release you. Things are looking pretty good considering the shot you took."

"Thank you," Kate said absently. She was still thinking about what the nurse had said about Luke.

...

"So what is the story with you and Kate?" Mei asked when she and Luke were on their flight back to Seattle.

"No story. I forced my way onto her team to help find you," he shrugged.

"Right," Mei said. "And I'm a total idiot."

"Excuse me?"

"You like her!" Mei cried, nudging him. "And it's about time, really. You've been alone way too long."

"I do not," Luke objected, but he knew he was lying. Kate had very much grown on him during their time together. He did enjoy getting her worked up over nothing. She was an easy target, but he felt she somehow liked it because she always engaged back. Then there were the other moments he thought about that had happened. His mind flashed to the times they had kissed.

"You should call her when she gets home," Mei insisted, breaking into his thoughts.

"I'm pretty sure she's done with me," Luke said. "I did put her through the wringer after all."

Mei raised a brow at him but didn't push. She decided she would have to work on Kate then, if Luke was going to be stubborn about it. She had one last thing to say, though.

"Don't you think you've punished yourself long enough?" she asked. "It wasn't your fault, losing Annie, that was the Russians' fault. And you've done so much more since to make up for working for that mayor. You owe it to yourself to be happy, to do something for you for once."

Luke gritted his teeth and didn't respond. Of course he was punishing himself. It was his repentance.

"Don't miss out because you feel you don't deserve it," Mei added. "Because you more than deserve it, Luke."

She sat back in her seat then, looking out the window. Luke thought about what she said for the rest of the trip.


	10. Chapter 10

_The end of fear is where we begin, the moment we decided to let love in._

A day after her release from the hospital, Kate walked into her sister's room and saw her lying with her back to the door. She inhaled sharply at the sight of how small her sister had gotten. It was a miracle she had lasted this long to begin with.

"Treena?" she said softly, going around to the other side to face her. Treena opened her eyes slowly.

"Kate?"

"Hi," Kate replied. She pulled the desk chair over beside the bed and sat in it, resting her arms on her elbows and her chin on her hands.

"It's been a while."

"I'm sorry," Kate said quickly.

"It's okay. I know it's hard."

Kate felt her throat tighten as she looked at her sister.

"It wasn't fair of me to just bolt and not come back because I couldn't deal with you being sick when you had to face it," she insisted.

"Kate, it's okay," Treena assured her. She moved her hand to the edge of the bed, and Kate reached to hold it. It felt so fragile and light.

"I'm scared," Kate admitted. "I can't do this without you."

"You can, and you will," Treena said adamantly.

"How's Scott?"

"He's a mess, but Mum and Dad will look after him."

"I can't believe this happened to you," Kate said, teary.

"It has to happen to someone. I just got picked."

Kate didn't know what else to say. Her sister's breathing was ragged by this point.

"You held on for me," Kate said finally.

"Of course. I knew you'd come. You're late as usual, but that's okay."

"Please just stay," Kate whispered. Treena smiled sadly. They both knew Treena couldn't hold out much longer.

"This isn't goodbye," she said. "It's just so long for now."

Kate moved to hug her sister then, still crying. They embraced for what felt both like a long time and not long enough.

"I really need to rest now," Treena said after. Kate swallowed.

"I love you," she said.

"I love you too, sis. I'm proud of you."

"You've been so brave," Kate said. She didn't want to leave. She knew it was probably their last conversation.

"And you'll be brave too," Treena assured her. "Kate, I want you to live, and I want you to love again. Can you do that for me?"

"Treen..."

"Please," Treena cut her off. "For me."

"Okay," Kate promised. "I will."

Her sister smiled, making Kate start to cry a little again. She loved her sister's smile. Treena's eye lids drooped then as she fell asleep. Kate watched her breathe for a while before she slipped out. She needed air. She watched the waves for a while, sitting and hugging her knees tightly. She thought of Luke. She was pretty sure he'd never give her another thought now that he had Mei back. Kate watched the sun go down before finally getting up and going inside. She could hear crying from Treena's room, and she found her father coming out of it when she hurried over there.

"Is she...?" Kate started. Her father nodded and broke down. Kate cried too, and he pulled her into a hug. The regret she felt for not coming here sooner was immense.

...

"Where's Kate?" Mei asked Henry one morning. He looked up at her.

"Oh. She, uh, she's not coming in for a few days."

"Is she okay?"

"Just a family thing," he answered. "She didn't go into details, but I think it was a death. She doesn't share much about her life with me on a good day anyway."

"Oh," Mei said. She felt badly for Kate then. She had no idea. She spent the rest of the day thinking about her, and when she got home, Luke noticed her pensive mood.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yea. I'm just...sad for Kate," Mei answered.

"Kate? What happened?"

"I think someone in her family died. Henry said she wasn't coming in for a few days because of a family thing. It just makes sense, you know? I feel bad I didn't know."

Luke stood there thinking. He'd known. He hadn't shared because he knew Kate would have killed him for it.

"Luke?" Mei asked, breaking into his thoughts.

"Huh?"

"Where did you go?" she asked, curious.

"Just thinking."

"I'm going out to meet Henry," Me said. "We're going to talk about our new case we picked up."

"Okay."

Luke knew this was a date, but he didn't expose it. Good for Henry for speaking up. It made him think about his own current problem. Luke stayed standing in the kitchen after she left. He wondered how Kate was doing, where she was right now. She had her family, though. He was certain she'd be all right. It still troubled him, though.

...

Kate stood at the grave site three days later, listening to the minister speak. The service had been full, and her mother had given a great eulogy speech. Kate had been asked, but she couldn't do it. It was just family at the grave site now. Her nephew stood beside her. He was crying. Her father had his arm around him, trying to comfort him. Her mother stood with her sisters, Kate's aunts. Kate felt very triggered by the sight of the coffin and the sand. She tried to keep it together, but it was hard.

"Ashes to ashes. Dust to dust."

Her sister was really gone. Kate wanted to vomit. Her mother went to drop dirt into the grave, then her father. Kate stumbled forward, barely able to stand.

_She'll be gone. She won't know._

Luke's words echoed in her brain, but she still felt as though her sister knew exactly what was going on. She stood, looking down at the coffin. Her breath was coming in short and fast now.

"Go ahead," the minister encouraged.

"I can't," she whispered, shaking her head. Then again, louder. "I can't."

"Kate," her father started. She moved to run when she saw him and froze.

"You can," Luke said when he got to her. He put his hands on her shoulders firmly. "She's not in there, Kate. She's not in there. Neither are you."

"Luke," she said in disbelief.

"She's right here," he said, tapping above her heart. "And here." He tapped the side of her head gently. "Not in there."

No one said anything, unsure of what was happening or who Luke even was.

"How are you even here?" she asked.

"Henry told Mei, who told me."

"And you came," she whispered.

"Of course I did."

This statement surprised her a little, but she was too emotional to dwell on it.

"I can't do it," she told him.

"Maybe not alone you can't, but I'll do it with you," he said.

"Kate?" the minister prompted. Luke bent to scoop some dirt and put it in her hand.

"For your sister," he said to her. Kate nodded, her tear stained cheeks burning with the wind now. Luke put his hand underneath hers, holding it firmly. He looked at her, and she inhaled roughly before nodding again. He turned her hand over, the dirt falling from it instantly. Kate stepped back then, and the minister finished. Kate felt her feet take her away from the grave, away from Luke.

"Kate?" her mother asked. "Honey, where are you going?"

Kate started to run now. She ignored her family. She ignored her head telling her to stay. She just wanted to get away. So she ran.

...

Kate ended up just wandering around the streets and thinking. She felt embarrassed for running away, but she wasn't ready to face her family yet. Losing her sister was like a knife to the heart. She thought about Luke and wondered why he came. She hadn't expected to see him, and the fact he came to help and support her confused her and made her think she was going crazy. This was the same Luke who just did what he wanted and pissed her off with clear enjoyment of doing so. Kate walked until she found a bench and sat down. She could hear some thunder in the distance, feel the dampness in the air. She rested her head back and closed her eyes.

"I don't know how to live without you, Treen," she said out loud. "And I sure as hell don't know how to love again. I know you made me promise to try, but I just don't know. I'm scared. He...he scares me. I don't want to get hurt again."

She waited for an answer that she knew was never going to come. She was pretty sure her sister would just tell her to buck up and figure it out, that Luke was not Evan. He wouldn't take off to be with someone else. She was still sitting there when the rain came.

...

Luke promised Kate's parents he would find her after she bolted. Once he explained who he was, they were grateful someone was looking out for Kate. Luke hadn't ever really thought Kate would be his friend the day he had met her let alone that he'd actually care about her, but a lot had happened since. He had noticed feelings inside of him for Kate that he'd never thought he'd have for anyone again, and it scared him. Then Mei's speech about deserving to be happy got stuck in his head, and he had wrestled with what to do ever since. It was getting dark now, and it was beginning to rain. Luke had his wipers on as he scanned the street. He eventually caught sight of someone sitting on a bench by a park, and he could tell it was her. He parked and got out, going and sitting down beside her.

"Why are you here?" she asked after a moment.

"I came to support you," he answered.

"No, I mean why are you here, right now?" she corrected.

"Because I wanted to make sure you were all right," he told her. It was raining a bit harder now. Luke could feel the chill in the air.

"And why do you care?"

"Because I have a reason to. Kate, I haven't had anyone else to care about aside from Mei in a long time. I never thought I'd care about you, especially after the way we met, but I do. I care about you, Kate. Like it or not," he finished.

"Well, I don't like it," she said.

"And why not?"

"Because I don't need someone to care about me. I'm fine."

"Oh yea, sitting out in the pouring rain after running away from your sister's funeral tells me that you're just fine," he said a little sarcastically.

"Just go, Luke."

"Why do you have such a hard time letting people in, Kate?" he asked, ignoring her.

"I mean it. Go."

"Answer the question," he insisted.

"Luke, go."

"Why can't you let people in?" he asked.

"Because people leave me!" she shouted, getting to her feet now. Luke stood to join her. She was shaking now. "Evan left. Treena left. People leave me, Luke, so if I don't let anyone in, I won't get hurt. You of all people should understand that."

"What?" Luke asked. He wanted to ask who Evan was, but he knew now was not the time or place.

"You were such a closed book! You only gave me snapshots in order to get me to talk. I had to find out who you were through Alejandro! Do you know how embarrassing that is to not know the person you're working with?!"

"I don't talk about that part of my life because I'm ashamed of it," Luke said. "I was a pawn on a chessboard, and I didn't even ask or hesitate about the people I was told to kill. I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to look at me the way you are looking at me right now."

"And why do you even care about what I think of you or how I look at you?" she asked. They stood there looking at each other, and suddenly it hit her. There was more to it than just him caring for her. She was not alone in her feelings apparently.

"See you around, Kate," he said, turning to leave. This had been a mistake. Clearly.

"Luke!"

He got into his truck without looking back. He didn't know why he thought she would feel it too. He didn't know why he thought he could come out here and get any different of a response from her. She still despised him. Why should he have expected anything else? He started to drive away when he heard a noise come from the box of the truck.

"Pull over!" she yelled through the glass.

"Geez!" he yelped. He stopped and threw the truck into park, getting out. She was standing in the box, arms crossed.

"Get out of there," he ordered.

"No," she refused. Frustrated now, he climbed in to get her. She held her ground.

"Kate, you made it very clear you hate me. Now, get out so I can leave and never see you again."

"No."

"What do you want from me?" he asked angrily.

"You said you care about me. In what way?"

"This is not high school, Kate."

"I'm serious! Do you see me as a friend or something else?" she asked. She knew her sister would just love the drama. She hoped Treena was watching somewhere.

"It doesn't matter."

"It does so matter," she argued. "Clearly you have difficulty in this department."

"I do not," he growled.

"Just tell me the truth," she urged. Luke did not want to do that, not if it meant nothing to her. He didn't like getting hurt either, but something in her face was saying otherwise.

"You want the truth? Fine," he said. "You infuriate me. You piss me off. You intentionally try to cut me with your words sometimes, but damn it, I love that about you. You don't let anyone push you around. You keep me on my toes, and nobody has ever been able to do that, not even Annie. So yea, I like you. Are you happy now?"

_I want you to live. I want you to love._

Treena had never met Luke, and yet she still somehow managed to know that Kate needed to make that promise to her. She could almost hear her sister egging her on, so maybe Luke was right. Maybe her sister really was in her head and in her heart. Treena would tell her to not be sad and to freaking hurry the hell up and kiss him already.

"I'm infuriating?" she asked, pointing to herself. "Are you kidding?"

"Yea, you are. You think you know everything."

"That's cos I do know everything."

He was standing in front of her now, and she wondered if he was going to physically remove her from the truck and leave her standing there alone on the street.

"I'm sorry you lost your sister," he said. Kate was surprised by the change of topic, but she did just bury her sister today after all. She had no more tears left in her for the moment. She was sure there would be a fresh batch tomorrow. Treena had been sick for a while, though, so Kate also felt a bit relieved that her sister wasn't suffering anymore.

"Me too."

"Let me take you home."

"Okay," she agreed. She jumped out of the box and climbed into the passenger side. Luke shut his door and started the truck. They both looked like drowned rats. Luke hated being soaked to the bone. They didn't talk for the drive. When he got to her parents' house, he stopped and parked on the street out front. Kate looked out the window at the house, knowing that sadness and tears waited for her there.

"Thank you," she said after a moment, looking at Luke. "For...everything."

"You're welcome."

She hesitated, unsure of what to do or say next. In the end, it was Luke who broke the silence.

"So, I bared my soul and told you how I feel," he started. "Where do you stand? I'm assuming you like me a little. I mean, maybe I'm wrong, but you haven't shot me yet, so I'm taking that to mean a good thing."

Kate laughed a little. She certainly had expressed her displeasure about him a lot in the past, but there was also that time in the hotel room when she'd kissed him without being undercover. That meant something even if he thought she wasn't acting like herself. She decided to be bold like Treena. She leaned over and kissed Luke gently, her one hand on his face.

"Does that answer your question?" she asked after. He had his hand on hers now.

"I guess it does," he agreed.

"I'll see you when I get back," she said. She didn't want to expose him to her family madness, not right after her sister's funeral. Another time.

"Okay."

She squeezed his hand and opened the truck door, hopping out. She braced herself against the rain as she ran towards the house. Luke couldn't help but smile as he put the truck back in gear and drove away.

...

Kate survived the rest of the evening somehow. She had been surprised at the amount of laughter that happened with her family over sharing memories of Treena. Her sister had been a troublemaker growing up.

Now, she was in bed, thinking. Was she falling for Luke Wright? It made her feel a bit strange, but it also made her smile. She wished Treena had gotten to meet him. This made her cry a little, but it didn't feel as devastating because she knew her sister was somewhere watching her right now, and she wouldn't want Kate to be devastated. Kate would do her best to live her life as per Treena's wishes. It was the least she could do for her sister.

* * *

**One chapter left! I do love to hear your thoughts. I miss my reviewers lol**


	11. Chapter 11

_I'll know it when I see your face, I'm safe.  
_

**Three Days Later **

Luke was working the late shift and feeling tired for some reason. He'd already broken up two fights and caught someone trying to dine and dash. He was ready for the night to end. He knew Mei was out with Henry again. They had been in earlier together. Henry had the look of someone very smitten about him when Mei was talking to Luke. Henry had shared that Kate had been back to work that day, and Luke wondered if he was going to see her again or if she had changed her mind about him. He didn't like feeling like this and not knowing. He turned to the back of the bar to grab another bottle of whiskey to refill a drink for a guy. When he turned back, he almost dropped it. Kate was sitting there smiling at him. She had somehow crept in without him seeing her. Luke finished topping up the guy's drink before making his way back to her. It was fairly quiet at this time of night, so there were only a few other people in the bar.

"Beer?" he asked, remembering what she drank from the first time he'd met her.

"No," she shook her head. "Not tonight."

"Long day?"

"Sort of. I got brought up to speed on my new case by Mei. I think she's gonna be just fine."

"Henry's been helping her," Luke pointed out.

"Ah, I knew it," Kate laughed. "They're pretty good at work not letting on."

"You doing okay?" Luke asked after she stopped laughing.

"As well as I can be. I miss her all the time. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'll get hit with the tears for no reason, and then like right now, I'll be fine."

"That's grief. It gets less sharp the more time goes on," he advised.

"I know," she nodded. "I don't miss Evan as much anymore."

Here was his chance to ask her about Evan. He took it.

"And Evan is?"

"My ex husband," Kate answered.

"Oh."

"Yup. We were married for a few years, but it didn't work out. He fancied someone else," Kate shrugged.

"That's too bad."

"His loss," Kate said.

"So, if you're not here for a drink, then why are you here?" Luke asked, getting to the point.

"I'm not really sure," she answered. They looked at each other, and Luke could pick up on her thoughts. He just knew.

"I'm closing in about thirty minutes."

"I'll wait."

Luke felt a kind of anticipation as he worked and she watched. When he locked the door behind the last person, he almost felt nervous.

"I'll be a bit. Still gotta clean up," he said, going back behind the bar.

"I can help," she offered.

"All right."

She went around to join him, and he gave her a cloth to wipe down the bar. He started to cap and put away the open bottles. Neither of them said anything, and Luke wondered what she was thinking. He felt nervous to ask her.

"You know," she said after a while. "I still can't get over how entitled you were when I first met you."

Luke almost laughed. She was fixing the awkwardness by bringing them back to familiar territory: bickering.

"I wasn't entitled. I was working. You weren't doing anything to find her."

"I was so!"

"By following me," he pointed out. "I was doing your work for you."

"You were not. Henry was onto the phone thing," Kate argued.

"Just admit you were stuck and needed me," he said.

"I will not," she shook her head. "I was doing fine without you."

"Sure you were," he smirked. She was standing in front of him now.

"Look here," she said, poking him in the chest. "I'm the FBI agent, not you."

"I was a cop."

"FBI is better."

"Says who?"

"Says me."

"Again, how was it that I was three steps ahead of you then?" he asked. "If FBI is better?"

"Well...you're just special," she replied.

"Special? Are you giving me a compliment?" he asked, teasing.

"Not that kind of special," she corrected.

"Oh!" he exclaimed. "Cheap shot!"

"And another thing," she started, but he didn't let her finish. He grabbed her head and kissed her, wrapping his other arm around her back tightly. Kate wondered how long they'd go on like this before he made his move. She had done her best to make them both feel normal by starting up the bickering so as to avoid feeling awkward or nervous. She put her arms around him and kissed him back.

"You were saying," Luke said after a moment, his face close to hers.

"It's not important," she promised. He kissed her again, picking her up and setting her onto the bar. Kate let herself get lost in him. It had been a long time since she had felt this way minus the last time she had kissed Luke.

"You know," he said during a pause. "I had a feeling about you when I first saw you here."

"What was that?" she asked, letting her hands wander around his torso.

"That you'd be an incredible pain in my ass," he answered. She exclaimed and gave him a shove. He laughed, stepping back. Kate jumped down off the bar and went to shove him again, but he caught her hands and twisted her around so that he was behind her.

"Okay, okay," she said, laughing. "I surrender!" Luke kissed the back of her neck, resting a hand on her stomach. His other hand wandered across her skin. Kate briefly thought she was going to go mad from his touch.

"That's what I wanted to do that night," he said quietly. Kate knew he was referring to the night he'd helped her take her dress off. She quivered inside.

"I wouldn't have said no if you had," she told him. "I definitely didn't in the dream I had about it after."

"I knew it," he said, triumphant. "That's why you were so flustered that morning."

"You didn't say anything."

"What would I have said?"

"I don't know," she said. He was still touching her and kissing her neck softly. She failed to contain the noise in her throat at this. He turned her back around to face him and kissed her again. It was more urgent this time. She loved his hand behind her head as he kissed her. His other hand was on the small of her back, keeping her as close to him as she could possibly be.

"I have to say, any other man would have taken advantage of me when I kissed you last time," she said as he stopped to look at her.

"I'm not like other men," he replied.

"It meant something to me," she told him. She had to tell him.

"What did?" he asked.

"That kiss. I wanted it then just as badly as I want it now. It wasn't solely because I wanted to feel something. I also did it because I wanted you."

This was comforting for Luke to hear. He had wondered, but her confirming it made him a bit relieved. He hadn't been a just in the moment action used for a distraction. He kissed her again.

"You sure you haven't done this in 11 years?" she asked, breathless in between kisses.

"Not once."

"I don't believe you."

"I don't lie," he said into her ear.

"Only when you have to," she corrected, thinking about him kissing her to save them from Raul's man when they were undercover.

"And in this case, I don't have to," he said. He pulled back slightly to look her in the eyes. "I mean it."

"Okay," she nodded slightly. She trusted him.

"I'm crazy about you, Kate," he murmured into her skin, his lips inches from hers. "But we can't do this here."

"Why not?" she asked. Had she done something wrong?

"Security cameras," he answered.

"Oh my God," she said, hiding her face in his shoulder and feeling embarrassed. "You should have said so earlier!"

"Sorry," he said, sheepish. He hadn't planned on letting it get as carried away as it did. She had that affect on him.

"Where then?" she asked, looking at him again.

"I'd say my place, but I think Mei is there with Henry."

"Come on then," Kate said, taking his hand in hers. "We'll go to mine."

...

"Luke's not gonna come home yet is he?" Henry asked Mei. They were in her room together. He was pretty sure Luke knew he liked Mei, but he still didn't feel up to getting a beating from him for sleeping with her.

"He's on the late shift," Mei answered. "But I don't think he's coming home tonight."

"Why not?"

"I saw Kate today. She said she was going to stop in and see him."

"Ohhhh."

"Yea."

"Wait, they're into each other?" Henry asked.

"You're a little slow, aren't you?" Mei teased.

"That wasn't the case earlier," he pointed out. She laughed as he kissed her again. She hoped Luke was allowing himself to be loved. Whether he thought so or not, he deserved it.

...

"You are very good at that," Luke said to Kate as she rested her head on his shoulder afterwards, her hand in his on his chest. They'd barely made it to her hallway before starting it up again. There had been a lot of banging about her apartment before reaching her bedroom.

"You're just saying that," she commented.

"I am not."

"It's been a while," she admitted.

"I've been longer, as you well know."

"Okay, is this a contest?" she asked, laughing.

"No," he grinned. "But if it was, I'd win."

"Oh, shut up," she ordered.

"Do you still hate me?" he asked after they'd been quiet for a bit.

"Well, I have this nasty habit of having sex with people I hate, so I guess I do," she said sarcastically.

"I see," he chuckled. She became serious then.

"I meant that too when I said it back then. I never hated you, Luke. You just drove me nuts."

"Why's that?"

"Because you were right. You did a better job than me, and I felt like a failure to Mei for not thinking outside of the box like you."

"How were you supposed to know where she'd go out to eat? I lived with her, not you," Luke argued. "It was a major guess on my part, and it just happened to be the right one. She could have gone anywhere else."

"You're sure she's doing okay?" Kate asked. She worried about Mei and whether or not she was struggling with nightmares like Kate still was.

"She seems to be. Don't forget, she's experienced stuff like this before. It's not new to her."

"I know, but I mean, stuff still affects you regardless of whether or not you've experienced it before."

"Like you," Luke noted, getting it.

"Sometimes, yes," she nodded. "It's fading a little. You're helping with that." She pressed her lips into his shoulder, and he squeezed her hand.

"Good," he said. "I'll always be here to help you."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

...

Mei looked up when Luke tried to sneak into their house the next morning. He stopped short when he saw her sitting at the table with her coffee, eye brow raised.

"Good morning," he said casually.

"And where were you?" she asked.

"I was out," he tried.

"I see that. Out where?"

"Am I under an investigation here?" Luke asked.

"Well, since you weren't home when I went to bed after midnight, and it's six thirty in the morning now, I'm assuming you were out all night."

"And? Your point is?"

"Did you take my advice?" Mei asked instead. She watched his face carefully, and it gave something away. He moved to hang up his jacket.

"Advice about what?" he countered, stalling.

"About how you deserve to be happy?"

"I might have," he answered vaguely. Mei studied him, noticing what looked like a possible tear in his t-shirt near his collar. Luke felt her gaze, and he was grateful his shirt hid the bite mark Kate had left on his shoulder as well as the nail marks on his back. He couldn't help it. He smiled.

"I knew it," Mei said.

"I haven't said a word," he commented.

"You don't have to. You look happy," she noted. She didn't say anymore as she stood and rinsed out her mug. She patted his shoulder as she passed him, getting ready to go out for her run. When the door closed behind her, Luke started to laugh a little. How had it turned so that she worried about him and his happiness? He was thankful for her all the same. He went to shower, still thinking about Kate. He felt lucky that she had feelings back for him. He never wanted to let her down, and if he could help it, he never would.

...

"You're smiling," Mei said when she got to work and stood in front of Kate. Kate looked up at her.

"I didn't realize that was a crime," Kate laughed.

"No, no. It just means you're happy, which is nice to see," Mei said. She sat in the chair across from Kate's desk, and Kate almost had a deja vu from the last time Mei had sat there before everything happened.

"You doing okay?" Kate asked.

"I'm doing great," Mei answered, nodding. "You don't have to worry about me. Seriously." She had her self-care and coping mechanisms she used. It wasn't her first traumatic experience, and she knew it wouldn't be her last, not in this career. Besides, she had Henry, and she felt safe with Henry. He made her laugh and forget all the bad things in the world when she needed to.

"I'm here if you ever need to talk," Kate assured her. Henry walked by her office then, and she caught the look he shared with Mei.

"Thanks," Mei said after, blushing a little. Kate didn't mention it. She didn't want to embarrass her. They technically worked different departments anyway as Henry was the tech consultant, so there was no conflict.

"Any new leads?" Kate asked, referring to the case.

"Luke's really happy," Mei blurted out at the same time. Kate tilted her head at her.

"He is?"

"Yes. I've never seen him this happy. I just...I thought you should know."

"Well...good for him," Kate said. It was unspoken, but she knew Mei knew where Luke had been last night. Kate kept from going red in the face, but barely just. Mei didn't say anymore about it thankfully.

"Yes, I have a new lead," Mei said, answering Kate's earlier question.

"I'm all ears," Kate said. Mei launched into it, and Kate tried to put her focus into it. She kept thinking about Luke. She was going to see him again that night, and she hoped she would see him the night after that. She really hoped that this was something real and genuine and not something she was going to lose. Something was telling her that it was going to be fine, though. She'd never thought she'd feel safe with a sicario, even though Luke was retired from that life, but she did. Treena would be so proud of her. She swallowed the tears she felt from thinking about her sister. It would eventually stop hurting so much, she knew. She'd put her focus on her work, her life, and her newfound love life. It would get her through.

"You gonna come with me?" Mei asked, finishing. She'd explained to Kate where to find the target.

"I'm right behind you," Kate answered, getting up. She'd put her personal life on hold for right now until later that night. For now, it was time to take down another bad guy, and she was more than ready.

**The End**

* * *

**Thank you to all who read, reviewed, favorited, and followed this story! I hope you guys enjoyed it. Who knows, maybe one day in the future I will write a sequel. Until next time! :)**


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